


Stockholm Syndrome

by loveatthirdsight



Category: Gintama
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-18
Updated: 2014-12-21
Packaged: 2018-02-13 17:34:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2159187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loveatthirdsight/pseuds/loveatthirdsight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A story about how somebody finally destroyed the world, with all its chaos and darkness. Takasugi-centric.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Stockholm Syndrome**

_How can I decide what's right?_  
 _When you're clouding up my mind_  
 _I can't win your losing fight_  
 _All the time_

_No can I ever own what's mine_  
 _When you're always taking sides_  
 _But you won't take away my pride_  
 _No, not this time_  
 _Not this time_

\- Paramore, "Decode"

* * *

**i.**

A story, in a few short sentences:

A spaceship destroys the palace that she and Shigeshige once lived in. The flames flicker to a grungy smoke that smarts her eyes as Nobume escorts her down to the ground, tears swallowed by the lump that overwhelms any aches in her legs and arms.

There are only a few minutes before the spaceship, full of artillery and deadly efficiency, moves on to the Amanto embassies, while two other smaller ships fly directly to the Edo Terminal and drop bombs for each terminal.

The news report estimates that a few hundred thousand people are dead. The Shinsengumi issue an emergency evacuation notice; the remaining civilians try to escape.

But it is futile. All over Japan - in Choshu, Kyoto, in the mid-sized cities - there's been a general state of alarm. Out of nowhere, the rampage is very well organized, very immune to any sort of defense.

Rumors collect - the end of the world, some say.

On top of the Kiheitai's spaceship, Takasugi allows himself one indulgent smile.

* * *

**ii.**

Tokugawa Soyo writes him a letter from the bomb shelters, asking him on behalf of the people to stop the raids. It's no use, someone said, but she stamps the latter anyway with her royal seal.

He responds her by arresting and detaining her. Nobume escorts Soyo, for she is on the side of the Mimawarigumi, who has pledged their loyalty before the fruit of destruction came forward.

Takasugi Shinsuke is shorter than she expects. Nobume unties her blindfold and Soyo blinks once before resuming her cool, collected facade.

The fate of her country doesn't rest on her shoulders, but her brother has deemed himself helpless, unable to do anything for his people. Soyo is the one who decides to take action, because she understands intimately that her position means nothing save for a nostalgic symbol that now has been rendered irrelevant.

The man responsible for the destruction of a world is sitting next to the windowsill, plucking a sad lonely song on a shamisen. The cool wind blows into the room, spartan in decor save for a lacquered tray with two bottles of warm sake sitting in the night air.

He is handsome - delicately so in a way that she can't explain, with his slender frame and inky black hair.

The song ends and he turns his head to fixate his one eye on her. She nearly gasps, for there is something intense and painful about him, but then she remembers this is no place for a girl her age to be.

She came dressed in nothing more elaborate than a commoner's kimono, with beige and gray patterns, and it feels forced - as if he can see past the facade. From the day she was born, it'd been hammered into her head that she belonged to higher places. Destined, indeed, to wed into nobler families, destined to be trapped into a tower that was built on the blood of innocent people...

_You've set me free, only to be imprisoned once more._

He places his pipe in his mouth, inhales-exhales-releases. The smoke fades quickly, like memories of a happier dream.

"How old are you?" he finally asks, and his voice is strangely beautiful, low and hypnotic.

"Sixteen," Soyo says.

"I see." His eye flickers expectantly. "I usually don't meet girls your age," he says, and his laugh sends a shiver down her spine. "Especially not the Princess of Japan."

"That title means nothing now," the girl said, eyes lowered to the ground.

"You're right, it doesn't. Never has."

He pours her a cup of sake and smiles at her the way conquerors do at the oppressed. "Drink," he says, and she lifts the cup to her mouth.

It occurs to her that he might have poisoned the sake as well but it is too late. The warm buzz hits the back of her throat.

She waits, anxiously, for more side effects. But there are none - Takasugi himself is pouring a drink and he sips it delicately rather than all at once.

"Why did you write the letter?"

"I just wanted to know why you would wish destruction. I have many people dear to me who live in Edo."

"Retribution," he said evenly. "Do you understand any of that?"

"No."

It's over. The world is destroyed and he's accomplished everything that he wants to achieve. What else is left?

"I came to offer my hand in marriage and the seat of the Shogun if you stop the destruction," she said, her green eyes as turbulent as a storm.

"And what if I refuse?"

"Then I shall resign and wait until you kill me."

"A position of nobility doesn't interest me, Princess. Neither does martyrdom suit you."

"Aren't you satisfied yet? Millions are dead." Her tone is bitter. "Aren't you happy?"

"You're in no position to decide whether I am satisfied or not," he said, and he leans towards her and grips her chin with surprising firmness.

"The only thing keeping you alive right now is that you're too young to understand  _anything_ ," Takasugi said, with a savage vindictiveness that is terrifying and stunning at the same time. She stops breathing.

He let her go abruptly. "Leave now," he commands. Soyo murmurs a formal goodbye and Nobume carries her away to her cell.

* * *

**iii.**

"I think I made him angry," she said to Bansai, who visits her prison cell once every so often. In her spare time (which is copious), she writes Takasugi letters, always asking him to stop destroying the livelihoods of so many citizens, even though it is futile. She is but a simple girl. He is a well calculated machine of algorithms and an unquenchable thirst of revenge. The kindness of Soyo is outweighed substantially by his cruelty.

"Shinsuke never really stops being angry," he says. "If he did, we wouldn't have gotten this far."

Down below the sky there are constant bombings and raids. She tries not to cry at it all, tries not to wonder what happened to Kagura and all those wonderful people down below that haven't been arrested or detained.

"How did you meet him?"

"Same as everyone else. He comes to you if he can be bothered."

None of her letters instigate a reply from Takasugi, so she sends him a poem out of boredom.

_Though I go to you_  
 _ceaselessly along dream paths,_  
 _the sum of those trysts_  
 _is less than a single glimpse_  
 _granted in the waking world._

In less than a day he sends back a reply.

_Our life in this world -_  
 _to what shall I compare it?_  
 _It is like an echo_  
 _resounding through the mountains_  
 _and off into the empty sky._

She reads the letter and puts it away. A minute later she reads it again.

Takasugi Shinsuke's handwriting is neat and elegant. A symptom of a psychopath, she decides promptly, and folds the letter in eighths and keeps it in her pocket like some odd good luck charm. She imagined that once upon a time, he held a beautiful soul, but had gone corrupt, rotten - spoiled in a way.

Soyo shook her head - was she truly romanticizing such a man? This man, who had destroyed thousand-year-old temples, innocent people and homes, and the livelihoods of the citizens?

She can feel her mind decaying in a place like this. Everyone ogles at her like a zoo animal. The slip of paper reminds her there is a semblance of normality in the twisted cage that she lives in, no matter how insane Takasugi may appear to be.

* * *

**iv.**

Her next visitor is Kijima, a blond surly example of a girl on the spaceship. She's brash, a little rude, and tough. Not unlike Kagura.

"You better watch your back, Princess," she spits out with half a smirk at the same time. "You can try to seduce Shinsuke-sama all you want, but it won't work. I've tried for years."

"I - I never intended to," Soyo stutters, embarrassed. "Besides, I'm in prison. What can I do?"

"Don't you tempt him into thinking that he'll surrender on your terms. Because that won't happen. Me and Shinsuke, we've gone back for years." Her hand cocks arrogantly on her side, but beyond that, there's a radiance and confidence to be admired.

"I wish I were you," Soyo admits.

Kijima is so unused to the gentility of female company, and thusly taken aback. "I - ! It's been a long time since anyone's told me something like that."

"Well it's true," Soyo says. "I can't even walk around here freely. I'm was a prisoner then and now, only in different cages."

"Man, and here I thought it'd be rad to be a princess. Don't you noblewomen get to eat foie gras every day back when you lived in that palace?"

"No, not exactly... Though I don't even like foie gras."

"Spoken as a true noble!" Kijima laughs and suddenly the world is less lonely with two girls on the spaceship. "Speaking of which, why are you on this ship?"

"Nobume-san arrested me," Soyo said. She is still a little heartbroken over that betrayal.

"Oh I see." Kijima looks at her thoughtfully. "Y'know, Shinsuke-sama killed your uncle. Did anyone else tell you?"

" ... He deserved it," Soyo said, after taking it in. "He cut off the arms of my caretaker."

" _Wow_ , no one told me you were a sadist, Princess." Kijima eyed the girl more cautiously now. "Maybe Shinsuke was right to lock you up."

"Don't be silly," Soyo said. "Everyone here - they're much tougher. Stronger. What can a someone like me do?"

There's a thoughtfulness in Kijima's eyes that betray her cause. Meeting Soyo has made her ambiguous - she isn't the enemy of Kiheitai, whose orders are to slaughter all compatriots and allies of the Bakufu. Neither is she entirely sheltered, she has accepted defeat and is compliant to all of the orders on ship.

If anyone had told her that the young woman before her was the sister of the Shogun, Kijima wouldn't have believed them. She wore regular clothes and her hair was a little unkempt with nothing to show that she was of noble blood.

"Hey - " and here, Soyo seemed a little embarrassed, " - Do you think I could get a shower? I figure since you were a girl, you'd know the better places..."

Her cell had a bathroom and a sink but not much in the way of body cleansing.

"Let me ask him about it," Kijima said. "I know there are other cells that are a bit more... well, luxurious."

The next day the blonde girl handcuffs Soyo and leads her to a higher cabin in the spaceship.

"We usually save these rooms for Amanto businessmen," the blond says. "You've been behaving pretty well, so he shrugged me off and said I could do whatever."

"I appreciate that, Kijima-san."

"Call me Matako," the woman said, flashing her an impish grin.

"O - Okay, Matako." The only other people she's called by their first name was her brother, Maizou, and Kagura - and there is a sudden warmth in her chest that conveniently ignores the fact that Kijima Matako faithfully serves a man Soyo has every reason to hate.

The room has carpet, a nice window to look at the stars outside, and a soft futon made of goose feathers. It's not anywhere nice as the bedroom she used to have, but that past is long gone.

"I'll be locking the door," Matako said, after unlocking the cuffs from Soyo's wrists. "There's a button next to your bed - if you need anything, someone will get it for you provided you're not asking for machine guns or anything to kill yourself."

"Make no mistake though," the woman added. "You screw up in anyway, you're going down to the dungeons. And trust me, you  _really_  don't wanna be in the company of filthy, dirty aliens."

Soyo nodded. The door clicked with a jiggle to signal the lock.

So, a new upgrade, new freedom. It feels like she'll be here forever, but as long as they keep bringing her books to read and more paper to write on, she won't die of boredom if people keep visiting her.

She bites on her fountain pen, and decides to write another letter to Takasugi to thank him.

* * *

**v.**

Shinsuke still hasn't killed her - whether it's out of amusement or plans to use Soyo as a hostage, he doesn't know.

"That girl is too kind," Bansai mused as he slit open the letter. For weeks now, he's been reading them and discarding the ones that he knows Shinsuke will react badly to; Tokugawa Soyo is a brave soul for attempting to engage in contact with someone who has imprisoned her. So far, the poem is the only one he's felt is fine to send to the commander. A poem was harmless enough; in fact Shinsuke was so amused that upon receiving it had quoted another poet.

"So the little girl is well-educated," he said, removing the pipe from his mouth and chuckling softly. "She's in the wrong place here..."

Her melody was sweet and lovely, like one would expect of a princess. The girl was passionate about saving her country the way that Takasugi Shinsuke was about destroying it.

If Bansai hadn't met Shinsuke first, he wouldn't have minded being her vessel, despite the complacency of a rotten nation. She was idealistic and naive, with too much faith in people. She still wrote letters asking Shinsuke to spare the mountains and the valleys of Japan.

 _Now, how does a sheltered girl like that even know the existence of such places?_  he wondered. They hadn't finished the raid on Choshu yet, as there were some factions that had put up a strong resistance, but still...

It was common knowledge that the people of Edo loved the girl, most of all the Shogun who held affection for his little sister. And now he could see why, with her good-hearted naivety. Tokugawa Soyo was special, so beautifully rare.

On a ship full of cynics, debauchery, and good-for-nothings, she still hasn't seen things that make men like him and Shinsuke turn their backs on the world. Still doesn't understand why they want to see the world burn.

He read the latest letter. It is a letter of appreciation, for Takasugi had allowed more or less for her to move into a room that isn't a prison cell anymore.

Bansai doesn't know whether to laugh or cry.

* * *

**vi.**

"Henpeita-san, will you indulge a girl and tell me why Takasugi wants to destroy the world?"

"My dear, you are too old for my taste," he says but it isn't without malice or anything hostile. "Though you are very lovely. Very, very lovely."

The girl beams as if she has been handed a million dollars. "Will you tell me more if I add "-sama" to the end of your name?"

"As a matter of fact I will," he said, and he unlocked her door. "Don't worry, I'm not a barbarian, just a feminist."

Soyo laughed. "If you say so, Henpeita-sama."

She offered him a chair while she sat on the bed.

"My dear, there are simply things in this world that I and Takasugi - alongside with the Kiheitai - would like to change."

"Such as ...?"

"Personally, I would have liked to have rebuilt Japan from scratch, but it doesn't seem likely these days." The man sighed. "Takasugi is a good man, though his fiery rage causes him to obliterate things that he considers inferior of his interest."

Soyo was intelligent enough to keep her mouth shut regarding Takasugi, so she did.

Instead she decided to change tactics. "Henpeita-sama, is not changing the world in a more humane way more noble and befitting of a samurai?"

"My dear, that wouldn't change anything."

"You wouldn't know that - "

"Tokugawa-san."

"Forgive my transgression," she said softly.

"No offense taken," the older man said, though both of them knew this was simply said for cordiality.

Uneasily, he began to speak again. "I was one of the very few who disagreed with the way that the Amanto took over Edo. Unfortunately, the men under Sadasada's command decided to wipe out those who shared my ideology. I suppose they don't teach you things like the Kansai Purge, do they..."

"No," said Soyo, eyes widening. "Not at all."

"You were barely alive back then. I shouldn't blame this on you so much as your uncle but... I can't say the same for - "

"Takechi." A cold and irritable voice interrupted their conversation. "What did I tell you about fraternizing with the prisoners?"

To her silent horror Takasugi Shinsuke stood outside her door.

"My apologies," Henpeita said, though his expression clearly said he was not sorry at all. "'Til next time, I suppose."

He quickly trotted out of Soyo's room, and got away before any more trouble could come before the two of them. Soyo wasn't sure of what to say to Takasugi that would pardon Henpeita.

Turned out she didn't need to. "You were foolish to allow him to enter your room," he said.

"H-he said I was too old for him."

"And you believed him?"

"Yes."

He snorted. "You really are as naive as the rumors go."

"I suppose so... but I don't think that's a bad thing.

"Oh?"

"Yes. I think the unhappiest people in the world at the ones who know the most."

There was a moment when he breathed out smoke, a pungent but oddly appealing smell for Soyo, who rarely smelled anything other than the incense burned in her room.

"There is a certain beauty in knowing the abyss," he said finally. His sole eye locked onto hers and she swallowed nervously. Would this be the day she angered him once more?

Her fears were unfounded, again. "Have a good night, Princess."

"Good night," she said.

She can still feel the ghost of his hand gripping her cheek. He is volatile, this man. One moment she can believe that he wants to kill her, to rejoice over her dead body, and another moment she can see that he is simply another man.

_Takasugi Shinsuke, exactly what kind of person are you?_

-x-


	2. Chapter 2

_-x-_

_Hello again, friend of a friend,_   
_I knew you when_   
_Our common goal was waiting for  
_ _the world to end_

_Now that the truth is just a rule that you can bend_   
_You crack the whip, shape shift and trick  
the past again_ __  


\- Metric, "Black Sheep"

* * *

**vii.**

He's never slept with her. Now, that's a fact that nobody else on this spaceship knows for sure, since the easy way of thinking is to assume the only woman on ship is there as a prostitute. So Matako doesn't say anything, really, rumors are rumors and that's how the world runs. Besides, she'd sleep with him for no charge. Money doesn't mean anything; she can get as many guns or clothes or whatever she wants, but being with Takasugi Shinsuke is like a drug.

Regardless of whether he understands that she knows there is no way for them to be together, it still dazzles her utterly that this serious man lets her cling to his arm, fangirl all she wants, and he won't kill her no matter how ruthless he is. She doesn't mind that she's only viewed as a tool; she shoots all his minor enemies down and at the end of the day that's what matters. He has an assassin who adores and won't ever leave him.

And as for her, she gets to see Shinsuke as less than the commander, for him to curl up lazily next to her when he's issuing commands, and she almost can believe that she's Cleopatra for a moment. Almost being the key word.

When he finally goes away, it is all again a subordinate relationship once more, as if it never happened. But Matako knows better.

She'll be sorry when the world truly ends, but at least it'll be one hell of a ride.

* * *

**viii.**

In secret Soyo writes letters to her brother, though she never sends them off. Why would she? She knows that the Bakufu is the enemy on this ship. She's only alive because she symbolizes the success of the Kiheitai. The fact of the matter was, she's nothing like Kagura, who can storm through anything with brash words and her trusty umbrella gun.

No, Tokugawa Soyo was just a girl placed in extraordinary circumstances. That makes her more sad than it should.

She was sixteen but felt like a hundred years old; she has lived two lives. Sneaking out of the castle had felt like a rebellion, and she'd been truly happy to make a friend in Edo. But it'd been a temporary paradise. Now she'd been thrust into a never ending hell of uncertainty.

Home wasn't this ship. Even though the people she had met were beautiful in their own way, it was nothing compared to Earth. Home wasn't this room she had woken up to day after day, stars twinkling as if time never passed by.

No,  _home_  was Rotten Maizou lecturing her on the business of being ladylike.  _Home_  was her brother playing shogi with her and letting her win,  _home_  was Nobume listening to her bedroom stories of fairy tale princesses and knights in shining armor rescuing them from fiery dragons.  _Home_  was the taste of sukonbu bought from the convenience store, and the view of Edo from the high tower.  _Home_  was the Shinsengumi who rescued her time and time again, even when she ran away from the palace in order to see more of what was outside her world.

Yet...

Her home was gone. It was over, that story of promises and freedom. It was time to face reality.

She was a princess, but had naught a happy ending.

* * *

**ix.**

Soyo woke up to seeing the decapitated head of her brother broadcast on the galaxy news channel. She screamed, waking up several Kiheitai officers, who came bursting in.

"What the hell is going on here?" Matako demanded, two pistols pointed at Soyo. Weeping, Soyo pointed at the television screen.

"Holy shit," she said.

"Who did this?" Soyo asked, her heart afraid for the news. She had never felt so disturbed in her life, as if the walls were caving in around her.

"The Tendoshu, I daresay," Bansai remarked, sheathing his sword. He turned to Soyo. "My condolences."

"H-he w-w-was p-part of the Bakufu - " she heaved, as it seemed it was getting harder to breath each passing moment. "H-how dare you give me your condolences..." She kneeled on the floor, overwhelmed with shock.

"Nevertheless, he was your brother, and for that I am sorry," he said, reaching for the remote and turning the machine off. "Come, Matako. We've got a lot of work to do."

"Okay," the blonde said, casting a worried look at Soyo.

Soyo felt like everything had became too permanently real. Suddenly the room felt suffocating, as if the air had gone out and there was nothing left to live for.

Trembling, she buried her head into her pillow, allowing her tears to seep through.

Her brother was gone; the only family she had left in this godforsaken world.  _No one_! No one to come back to, no one who was wholesome and pure like her brother, who had only wanted to stop the destruction cast upon the people of his country.

 _The Shogun is dead! Long live destruction!_  the crowd outside her window cheers. After a minute of this torture, she locked herself into the bathroom and vomits the remains of her dinner.

* * *

**x.**

Curiously, Soyo felt no urge to pursue vengeance. The hole in her stomach reminded her that the wound was too raw to allow anger to seep through. Anger flickered dimly before it was washed away with despair.

With her third meeting with Takasugi, she dressed in a kimono of pure white silk. Matako had taken a long look at Soyo before reluctantly handing it to her. Orders were orders, and it had been ordained by Henpeita that the girl was to be allowed whatever she so desired without causing inconvenience to the ship. Her hair was neatly combed and she had tied it back with a red ribbon.

Now sitting in his room once more, she squared her shoulders tightly and looked up firmly.

"Please kill me, Takasugi-san."

"I thought that you would wait for me to kill you, but I didn't expect for this to be so soon," he said. His back was turned to her as she sat on her legs in an upright manner. The pungent smell of smoke filled her nostrils.

"There's no point for me to be alive," she said curtly.  _I would like to prevent people from attempting to save me._

"Have you considered retribution? You could join my cause."

"Never." Her eyes were lowered to the ground, and still she struggled to keep her voice free from emotion. "I would kill myself before subjecting anyone else to this."

To her dismay Takasugi did not even retaliate. He was calm. And yet a part of her hoped that he would put her out of her pain and misery.

"I was your age when I suffered such a pain."

"Don't pretend to sympathize when Shigeshige was your biggest enemy," Soyo said coldly. "I knew you were the one who tried to kill him at that festival four years ago."

The other man laughed. "I cannot deny the truth in your words. But, is not the enemy of my enemy my friend?"

"The Amanto are our allies," Soyo said fiercely. She thinks of Kagura, with her electric eyes and the taste of sukonbu in her mouth.

"The Amanto murdered your brother." Takasugi pointed out. He still hadn't turned his back.

"Like people, there are good and bad. They are no exception."

She won't let someone like Takasugi cloud the goodness of people just because somebody has wronged her. The sin of death doesn't taint everybody, she repeats to herself like a mantra.

"Who is to say that even good people deserve to live?" he asked. "Wouldn't it be easier... if we got rid of everybody?"

"That is a coward's way of thinking," Soyo said defiantly.

As soon as the words had escaped from her mouth, she knew that her fate was sealed. No one to the best of her knowledge escaped Takasugi Shinsuke with words of a challenging nature. Not unless they were extraordinarily strong or clever.

"A coward?" he asked, his voice soft and ever so dangerous. "What do you know of me, to call the person that I am a coward?"

She waited with bated breath.

"While  _you_  spent your life in a castle, the brigand of samurai that I belonged to were left to die by the hands of  _your_  family."

He no longer looked at Soyo anymore.

"This country deserves a grand finale," he said. "And I'm going to give it to them."

He slashed his sword so quick that she could have sworn only the wind blew from the deck. Her long hair was gone, cut so that the remnants lay at her feet.

* * *

**xi.**

Bansai knew, finally, the game that Takasugi Shinsuke was playing. He was slowly torturing Soyo because she was good and just, and killing her would be too easy.

Killing Tokuguwa Soyo would only prove that he was merciful, a quality that Shinsuke abhorred in all his subordinates. Shinsuke had slaughtered Sadasada because he had found dark humor in the act; Soyo, on the other hand had already elevated herself from the scum of people who had betrayed the Joui. Her only sin was to be related to the royal bloodline, a fault that even Shinsuke could not find problematic. Being born into the wrong family with the guilt of association was not anything new to the man.

Another reason, Bansai suspected, was because Shinsuke might have been resentful. The grief that he had been cursed with had never truly faded with time. Yet this girl, half his age, was able to put aside vengeance in lieu of forgiveness, even with the burden of sadness and despair.

Her eyes were like the sun. They shone brilliantly without caving into another beast of revenge.

For that, he had to respect that. Lesser men had begged for their lives, but unlike them the princess had already accepted the possibility of death and had made amends to die with dignity. A true noble, indeed.

That night he had confronted Takasugi. "We should let her go."

"Are you turning soft, Bansai? Or have you forgotten our aim to destroy this complacent nation from within?"

"She may turn our men against us," he rationalized. "Too many of them are beginning to listen to her, I daresay. She's a powerful influence. You'd better kill her now."

"Don't be silly. Matako may be charmed with her, but as for everybody else, I doubt she holds such power."

"Shinsuke - "

"Are you doubting my orders?"

"No."

"You're dismissed, then."

This time Bansai walked backwards to ensure that Shinsuke would not swing his sword at his back. You could never be so sure with people like him.

His mind was conflicted. It had occurred to him once again how incredibly  _young_ Soyo was, even though she held an intelligence that could rival any of Takasugi's best officers.

Truthfully, he couldn't admit that she was the enemy, no matter what his superior felt.

* * *

**xii.**

"You'll be sitting here today," Matako said gravely, as she led Soyo by handcuffs. "I'm also instructed to inject this into you."

Soyo sat into the chair obediently, while the blonde strapped her wrists securely. "What will it do to me?" she asked, even though knowing that it had a good chance of hurting her.

"I can't risk losing my job over telling you," Matako said, effectively dodging the question.

With a precision unlike what she had expected from a gun-toting maniac like Matako, the girl squeezed the syringe into Soyo's arm.

"Night night, Princess," the blonde said. Soyo closed her eyes, frozen with dread.

A minute later, Bansai came into the door, swiping his card for access. "I came to check if things went well."

The two of them looked at the sleeping princess, head lolled to one side as she breathed peacefully. Matako sighed once more.

"Amanto technology is dangerous, isn't it, Bansai-senpai?"

"That it is," he agreed. "I never liked these mental torture devices, but they were instrumental in keeping Kiheitai's men loyal."

"Still. I don't like this. If it weren't for Shinsuke-sama ordering this I wouldn't have wanted this for her."

"It was unfortunate," Bansai agreed once more, his voice low as well.

Ten hours of psychological torture.  _Will she make it through?_  they both wondered.

* * *

**xiii - xiv.**

"Wake up," someone said, pouring ice cold water at her face. Soyo coughed, as she blearily opened her eyes.

"Where... where am I?"

"You're in someone else's memories." To her great surprise, Soyo found a girl who looked suspiciously like her standing directly in front of her.

No - scratch that. The girl was every part of Soyo's twin, if one existed in reality.

"They were supposed to inject the serum that would inflict ten hours' worth of your worst fear into your brain. But they got it all mixed up."

"H-how do you even know this?"

"I'm the mind regulator, of course. The Kiheitai found that mental control was far superior than physical threat. But they wanted to preserve their most talented forces, so there had to be a limit before the victim was beyond repair."

"Regulator? Do you simply exist in my head?"

"Me?" The girl laughed. "Don't be silly. I work for the Kiheitai, just like Matako-kun. I use the mind as a medium, just as much as you use the physical space of Earth to move. I only look like you because I didn't want your brain to freak out, especially when there's an invasion of mind. It'd be very inconvenient, you know."

Suddenly Soyo found herself facing an identical version of herself wielding a sword. "Sadly, our encounter will soon have to end. I must terminate you before the situation gets out of control."

"Wait! Can't we talk this out? Please, um, Regulator-san..."

"I don't know if you're an ally or not, but clearly you've been on the wrong side of the Kiheitai."

Soyo put her hands up. "I called Takasugi-san a coward. That was my crime. I had intended to die honorably by his hands, but he had sent me to this punishment instead."

The Regulator frowned, but to Soyo's relief she had put down her sword. "Hmm, from the glances of your mind I can see that you're not lying."

Soyo sighed, grateful that nothing bad had happened just yet.

"... I also don't agree with his punishment of ten hours. One or two would have been enough, especially for someone like you."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm saying that for a civilian, it's overkill for anyone to inflict that much mental turmoil on you. I don't approve of what Takasugi does sometimes, and he doesn't like me either, but because I'm the best of the best he tolerates what I do."

"So you're saying that because he can't control you, he doesn't like you?"

"Well, yes, but I'm also an Amanto. I come from a planet where we regularly share our minds and our thoughts. I just happen to be able to modify it for humans."

"You don't support the killing of humans, do you?"

At this the Regulator shrugged. "Most of the time, I'm only concerned is whether Takasugi pays me well. And he does." She smiled devilishly. "But that doesn't mean I can't break the rules sometime. Usually I kill off people who don't overtly support the Kiheitai, but you don't look like you'd spill the beans if I let you go, right?"

Soyo shook her head vigorously. "I will defend your secret to the grave, Regulator-san!"

"Don't put so much stock in your promises, Princess. I only let you go because you look harmless enough, and also because Matako bungled up again," the girl said. "After all this, I can't torture you without the right serum."

"Even so, thank you, Regulator-san."

"The drug is saying we need to move on. Let's go, Tokugawa-san."

They walked through a meadow of soft grass and golden wheat. Gingko leaves fluttered gently in the wind.

"Ah, I think I know where we are..." her companion said softly.

"You do?"

The sky suddenly turned stormy. The Regulator pulled out an umbrella and allowed Soyo to remain close so they were sheltered from the rain.

"You said we were in someone else's memory, Regulator-san?"

"Ah yes. I wasn't supposed to see this at all, but Takasugi made a crucial mistake when he linked his mind to mine. He wanted to know whether he could trust Kawakimi Bansai, but inadvertently, he allowed me a glimpse of his mind."

Soyo could see a group of boys running towards a hill. The Regulator began to run as well. "We must follow them," she urged Soyo, and the two of them rushed to get a glimpse of the boys.

There were three in question, one with a black ponytail, another with a perm head of silver curls. The last boy with his pine green eyes made Soyo stop in surprise.

"We're in Takasugi's memories!" she cried out, shocked.

"Of course we are, didn't I tell you that already?" the Regulator said impatiently, still running. "Hurry up!"

The two girls followed the boys for a good while before they ended up in a small building that smelled of books and scrolls. It was a temple school, Soyo realized dazedly. She had never been to one, having been educated by private tutors all her life.

A man stepped out to greet the boys, offering them clean towels. Soyo knew that the man could not see her, but she was still a little shy about coming into the school. The Regulator barged right in, not even bothering to take off her shoes.

"Sensei, I saw this thing in the sky!"

"Did you now," the man said kindly, escorting the boys into the building. "Gintoki, next time you must remember to take an umbrella with you."

"Yes, sensei."

Soyo blinked once again.  _Gintoki? Surely not the man who was part of Kagura's family?_  she thought, astonished. But that head of curly silver hair was unmistakable. Yes, it was Gintoki in the flesh, or more accurately, memory.

"You see?" the boy with long hair said. "Sensei didn't take you seriously at all."

"Shut up, Zura! You're just jealous because you missed it."

Nearby a young Takasugi chuckled. "What is this, a contest? We've been seeing things in the sky for ages."

"Yes, Shinsuke, you are right. The Amanto have been here for quite some time now," the man said approvingly. Takasugi seemed to bask in the glow of the man's praise, and even more so when the man patted his head affectionately.

It was then that the Regulator touched Soyo's hand. The scene deconstructed into white once more.

"You've seen all of this before, haven't you Regulator-san?"

"Mm... well, truth be told, no. I don't really care for delving into others' memories, especially not the person who pays me. That'd be unfair collateral if they'd found out. I have the stories, so to speak, but I don't go out of my way to read them."

The Regulator stroked her chin thoughtfully. "We still have to keep up the illusion that you're under a spell for ten hours. Tokugawa-san - "

"Please, call me Soyo."

"Very well. Soyo, we'll have to go through ten hours of Takasugi's memories. Keep in mind that someone could wake you up at any moment, though from the looks of it, that'll be unlikely."

"Oh, they won't rescue me," the princess said, mildly undisturbed by this turn of events. "I'm the Shogun's sister. They won't forgive me for insulting Takasugi."

Truthfully, Soyo was intrigued by the accidental transgression into his mind. Deep down, she was aware that this was a privilege that not even his closest subordinates were privy to. From her limited observations, Takasugi was a private man who held few if any friends.

Shamefully, she admitted that she was interested in the psychology of his mind, though another part of her was conscious that he was... Well, perhaps that was the main question.

He was evil, she thought, but neither did he lack the ability to accomplish good. He was lurking in between phases, the indefinable edge between insanity and genius. Soyo wasn't fool enough to pretend that her family, who had held the imperialist throne for centuries, were completely innocent. Selling out their country had been necessary for the survival of the Japanese, but had incurred bloody costs in the process. Though her studies through history had been highly edited to paint a favorable picture of the past Shoguns, Soyo knew better. Talking to the  _ronin_  of Edo had been enough for her to see a different picture.

The white was seeping out of the ground she stood on, interrupting her quiet musings. "Where are we going now?" Soyo asked the Regulator.

"I don't know," she admitted. "Human beings remember a lot of mundane things, so we could be trapped in a continual loop of his childhood."

Soyo smiled. "That wouldn't be so bad." She remembered the warmth of Takasugi's smile as he looked at his teacher.

"But judging from the way he's destroyed Japan, I doubt that he dwells on his happy childhood."

"You think he had a happy childhood?"

"So far, I think so."

A thick blanket of snow materialized in front of them, and Soyo shivered. She had worn nothing but a cotton yukata.

"Oi, Zura!" A teenaged Gintoki walked up to a group of boys once more who seemed to be stealthily engaged in a snowball fight. "I challenge you to a duel!"

"Samurai don't engage in snowball duels!" Katsura said fiercely. He threw a snowball at Gintoki, yelling "It's not Zura, it's Katsura!"

Takasugi, strangely enough, materialized next to Soyo. They were the same height, she realized with a shock.

He smirked. "Idiots, the both of them," he muttered and began to form snowballs quickly, hiding behind a small hill that obscured his figure.

Gintoki and Katsura stopped their argument to listen in on potential movements. "Where was that shorty?" Gintoki whispered to Katsura.

"Must be hiding somewhere," Katsura said. The two of them were wearing woolen haoris that allowed them quick movement but still afforded them a warmth in the cold.

Next to her, Takasugi let a snowball fly, hitting Gintoki squarely in the shoulder.

"He's over there!" he roared, charging straight at Takasugi. "Let's get him, Zura!"

And in a decidedly un-samurai fashion, Gintoki tackled Takasugi to the ground, smushing snow into the other boy's face.

* * *

**xv.**

The next moment took place in the temple school, where Shinsuke - around the age of twelve, Soyo estimated - rose up from his bed, visibly horrified judging from his expression.

"Sensei?" he asked, sliding open a door. The man that she had seen in an earlier memory was reading a novel under the dim light of an oil lantern.

"Yes? What is it, Shinsuke?"

"I - I had a bad dream."

The man closed his book and beckoned the boy to come closer. "Tell me about it."

"They... they were going to kill you."

"Who?"

"I don't know. I don't - I don't remember."

The man took Takasugi's hand. "Shinsuke, I won't leave you. Not so easily like that."

"You promise?"

The man extended his pinky finger. "I promise."

* * *

**xvi.**

Soyo could smell smoke this time, and could feel the searing heat all the way to her fingers. She took care to walk away from the inferno that engulfed the area not too far away from her.

Coughing a little, she had reached a place that was far away from the smoke that stung her eyes. Gintoki was there, tied up in ropes, with a look of desolation in his eyes.

A scream of rage followed shortly after. Soyo whipped her head and found Takasugi on his knees in an unmistakable howl of anger.

"Sensei!" he cried. Getting up again, he raced to Gintoki and shook the boy. "What happened?"

"They burned... everything..."

"I can see that," Takasugi said, swearing foul words as he took out a sharp dagger to untie Gintoki's ropes. "What happened to Sensei?"

"Gone. They took him away..."

"Why didn't you stop them?" Takasugi yelled, and dropped his dagger. "You - you - !"

"Stop it, Shinsuke!" An older Katsura held him back. "He tried to stop them, didn't you Gintoki?"

The white-haired boy couldn't even answer, his eyes still in shock.

" _You let them take him away_?" Shinsuke roared. " _How could you do this? They've burned everything! Let GO of me, Zura!_ "

He shook free of the other boy and punched Gintoki in the cheek.

"Shinsuke! Stop that! We mustn't be fighting at a time like this! We'll need to put out the fire."

Takasugi laughed darkly. "Zura, you're thinking about practical matters at a time like this? They're going to kill Shoyou-sensei and you don't give a damn. Figures, from such a traitor like you - "

"I do care!" Katsura argued. "I don't burn bridges, that's the only difference between you and me." He picked up the dagger and finished hacking away the ropes that bound Gintoki together.

"Thanks, Zura," the boy said, rubbing his wrists together.

"Where the hell did they take him, Gintoki?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," he finally said, averting his eyes from Takasugi's. "But you know why they did it - "

"Yes, and he had every goddamn right to teach it!" Takasugi snarled. "Don't you dare insinuate that they were RIGHT for taking him away!"

"I never said - " Gintoki began, and stopped at his friend's expression. "Maybe your father would know where they took him," he said, very softly.

"Never." Takasugi replied curtly, and walked away.

"Where are you going?" Katsura asked.

"I'm going to find him," he said.

A small drizzle began, before the sky opened up and started to pour its tears as if it mourned the loss of the school. Soyo followed Takasugi into the forest before he stopped abruptly.

"Sensei, wait for me," he whispered into the trees. "I will save you."

* * *

**xvii.**

"They've taken him to Edo, but at least he's alive," Takasugi said flatly. He had bags under his eyes and his clothes had looked worse for the wear. Nobody asked him where he'd been, but Gintoki had a suspicion that he'd spent all night knocking on doors to the politicians that resided in the countryside.

"How do you know this?" Katsura enquired.

He threw down a newspaper. Katsura picked it up, scanning the contents. "Oh no... this is a mistake. This can't be true."

"It's not a mistake. They're going to purge the rest of Hagi for what it's worth - burn down schools, destroy our crops, houses, take the children hostage. All because of Shoyou-sensei."

"Shoyou-sensei was under house arrest!" Katsura interrupted. "Surely we could negotiate his release."

Gintoki had been quietly observing the exchange between two of his oldest friends. "Zura, don't be so optimistic. The Amanto took him away and they're bloody well going to take over this country if they can't help it."

"I'm sure the Bakufu will oppose it. Choshu won't stand for this."

"We need to join the Jouishishi," Takasugi said. A steely determination took the other two by surprise. Gintoki nodded, while Katsura looked concerned.

"I - I suppose we should enable his teachings," Katsura said slowly. "He did promise Gintoki he'd come back."

"All the better when he comes back alive," Takasugi said. A savage-like joy had risen up in him like a lightning bolt.

* * *

**xviii.**

"You'd better get up on a higher plane," The Regulator said, taking Soyo's hand and lifting her up on the air.

The girl marveled at her ability. "We're standing in the sky! Solid air! How can you do this?"

Her companion only chuckled very softly. "You amuse me, Princess." She opened an umbrella. "I think we're at war, so it's best to cover our head from the bullets."

It seemed to be on the edge of ending. There were only a few Amanto left who were quickly pursued by a group of samurai. Soyo peered over curiously, asking the Regulator to go a bit closer.

The Amanto seemed to be reptilian in feature, speaking a harsh guttural language as they relayed commands. They split directions, leading the samurai to pursue them individually. From the sky Soyo could very clearly make out the brilliance of Gintoki's white uniform, even though it had been stained with blood. He moved with a fluidity that combined efficiency and deadly force to great effectiveness. Within a few seconds he had slain the alien with no problem whatsoever, running to his comrades as they struggled to conquer the hulking beasts.

"Die and leave this country!" he roared, striking his sword against another's. "This nation is not yours to conquer!"

Takasugi had been fighting with a particularly ferocious breed of Amanto until he was thrown back by the tremendous force of the monster's shield.

The alien laughed at his futile blows. "You think you can win?" it asked. "You samurai are pathetic."

With a spiteful gesture, he threw Takasugi a lumpy package, packed carelessly with old blood crusting through the white linen. To Soyo's horror, she could see the platinum blond hair spilling out from within, belonging to Shoyou-sensei. His head fell to the ground, still intact. He couldn't have been decapitated for more than a day.

She fell to her knees and so did Takasugi. "No..."

"Die, you monster," Katsura shrieked, lopping off the alien's head, effectively ending its life. Then he saw his teacher's head.

Dropping his sword he turned away and vomited. Gintoki was staring at it like he couldn't believe it.

The battlefield was dead silent - it was the three of them alone once more while they stood in a sea of corpses. The smell of blood and decay was overwhelming.

For a while Soyo couldn't see the expression of Takasugi.  _What was he thinking_? she thought to herself. Without a word the Regulator lowered her to the ground for which Soyo was grateful. Still, his hair hung low over his eyes, obscuring his face.

Silently he pulled himself up from the ground, and carefully placed Shoyou's head on the middle of the linen, making sure to wipe away the dirt that had graced the lifeless physiognomy of the man who meant so much to him.

"Takasugi..."

"Gintoki, tend to Zura, why don't you?" His voice seemed detached, aimless.

"But - "

" ** _JUST DO IT, OKAY_**?" Suddenly he was on the verge of a mental breakdown. "Sensei, what did those fools do to you? They have taken away all the beauty in this world."

And, not caring one whit for his comrades, he howled his outrage for the world to hear. That was before Gintoki knocked him out with one decisive blow. Keeling over, Takasugi fell over, dead silent.

Katsura wiped his mouth. "The pain will be worse when he wakes up." Tears flowed from his eyes freely, though Gintoki pretended not to see them. "You know how much devotion he held towards Sensei."

"I know."

"If only we had enough time to walk to Hagi. He deserves to be buried next to the school."

"I know. We'll have to bury him around here before it rots."

Gintoki began to drag Takasugi's body back to camp, while Katsura folded the bundle tenderly with care, now weeping openly without any notion of samurai restraint.

There were no more words exchanged between them as the sun set. The sky was as red as the blood that stained their clothing. The crows came again to feast on the dead.

-x-

* * *

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

_And there's no remedy_   
_For memory_   
_Your face is like a melody,_   
_It won't leave my head_   
_Your soul is haunting me_   
_And telling me_   
_That everything is fine_   
_But I wish I was dead_   
_(dead like you)_

_Every time I close my eyes_   
_It's like a dark paradise_   
_No one compares to you_   
_I'm scared that you_   
_Won't be waiting on the other side_

\- Lana del Rey, "Dark Paradise"

* * *

 **xix**.

Soyo hadn't been prepared for anything. She had spent the great majority of life in a palace that lived to serve her every whim. She had played the role of a delicate maiden to great efficacy and though she had known she was capable of more than that, she had never felt completely inclined to change the natural order of things.

Now she could never go back to blissful ignorance.

The Regulator had been watching with a cool nonchalance, lighting up a pipe as they waited for the next memory to arrive. "Soyo-hime, you're a much stronger person than he ever was, if this is the reason why he's decided to take on the world."

"How can you say that?" Soyo asked.

"I've seen others burn planets into oblivion," the Regulator said. "Earth isn't an exception in regards to that. But there were reasons; conquest, magnet instability, even mass genocide. But losing someone you love isn't a good reason to annihilate something on this scale."

 _That's not what what matters_ , Soyo thought.

She knew what he went through, seeing her poor brother's head broadcast on television. That cathartic release of emotion was something that had tore her apart, though the heavy weight of it still lingered in her heart. Loss, despair, anguish -

Was it not fitting for her to ask for death? Takasugi had understood her reasoning ever since she had came to him. He had even told her,  _"I was your age when I suffered such a pain."_

It had become painfully clear that if he couldn't have Sensei, then nobody else could have the world.

* * *

**xx.**

The dark parameter of their bunks had gotten no warmer. Takasugi had been keeping awake, a steady eye on his men until even Katsura bobbed off.

In dead silence, he stalked off to the woods. In the pocket of his jacket laid a pistol. When he had slipped out of the bunk, he made his way towards the forest, intent on isolating himself from the rest of the army.

No one would find him here. No one -

"You sure didn't get much sleep, now did ya?"

Takasugi whipped his head around. It was Gintoki.

"I was out for a walk."

"It's four in the morning."

"Couldn't sleep."

"Me neither."

The cold metal of the gun reminded Takasugi that he had urgent things to do, before it was too late. "Gintoki, you should go back. I came here so I could be by myself."

"What, so you could blow your head off?" Gintoki's eyes narrowed. "We're halfway through the campaign. You can shoot yourself once we lose this war."

"It's my goddamn right to take my life if I want," Takasugi snarled. With a flash of movement, he raised the gun to his head. "I came to fight because of Sensei. Now his head lies two hundred miles from where we're stationed. What's the point, Gintoki?"

"Sensei wouldn't want this."

"You have no fucking idea what Shoyou-sensei would have wanted," he snapped back. "Half our men want to desert and I can't fucking blame them. This was a mistake to organize the Kiheitai. We should have let the Amanto take over."

"You're tired. You need sleep - and food - "

"That's just bullshit and you know it."

"Shinsuke, listen to me. They took away our homes, the temple school we went to, and purged your family - "

"I never gave a damn about my family!"

"Well at least respect the fact that they are dead because of you!" Gintoki shouted back. "If it weren't for them, you would have never met Shoyou-sensei! Where is your damned loyalty to your men, the few who would break their backs for you? Wait a few years. And then you can commit seppuku honorably, as a samurai should."

Ten excruciatingly slow seconds passed before Takasugi lowered the gun.

* * *

**xxi.**

The Kiheitai had settled in the empty halls of his former home. The Kansai Purge had wiped his family out, and he observed the charred remains of the scroll portraits that used to decorate the paper thin walls.

"You have been arrested for treason, Takasugi Shinsuke. Hereby on the order of the Shogun, you are charged with the offense of betraying our country."

Two officials stood next to him next to a hospital bed. Soyo stood on the other side. His head was bandaged. A nasty wave of dread passed over her when she realized this must have been after he lost his eye.

He simply smoked his pipe with an empty detachment. "Is this what the Bakufu does these days? Targeting the weary and the broken who have nothing left to their name?"

The man was indignant. "The war is over, you fool. It was over before you ever began. All the daimyos have signed and approved of the Amanto residing on our land. You'll have five days to surrender before you'll be formally detained."

The officials left, leaving him behind.

A man came across, passing Takasugi a treaty. He looked at it for a moment. The entire room full of officers looked on nervously before one man finally asked, "Well, what's your answer, Commander?"

He ripped up the parchment into halves - and then fourths - and then eighths. Shortly afterwards he threw the remnants into a furnace.

"Never surrender," he said. "Not over my dead body. Not in this house."

* * *

**xxii.**

With increasing horror Soyo could see her uncle - a younger but equally as cruel version of the man she knew from her former days in the palace - standing next to Takasugi, stripped and chained up to a wall.

"You will pay for this," he snarled, beating his fists against the concrete. "You sold our damn country to the Amanto!"

"And what could we have done against it, hm?" Sadasada drawled, instructing the men to pause in the middle of whipping Takasugi. The Shogun turned his back against Takasugi. "You were deluded to even attempt the Joui rebellion twenty years after they came to this country."

"Were they satisfied once they knew you were killing  _your own people_?" Takasugi growled. "You are unfit to rule this nation."

Sadasada lifted a palm. The soldiers next to them struck Takasugi with a maliciousness that filled Soyo with despair. She rushed towards her uncle, aching to strangle his neck, but there was nothing to grasp or to hold - it was simply a memory that was unalterable.

"Enough. Starve him for a day," the Shogun ordered. "I am impressed that I even made the trip down to the cell. He made such a ruckus that I thought he would be more remarkable than just another traumatized soldier."

Something finally dawned on Takasugi. "You were the one who ordered Yoshida Shoyou's death, weren't you?"

The Shogun looked back at him coldly. "I remember no such man."

"Wait," Takasugi said. "Come back. Don't you dare walk away."

The door clinked shut, leaving behind nothing but the empty shell of a once-illustrious commander of an army.

" _COME BAAAAAAAAAACK_!"

* * *

**xxiii.**

Someone had kidnapped a war orphan back at the homeless shelter near where he resided.

"There's been an abduction," one of the old women told him. Takasugi stood back, apathetic to the gloomy sky, mouth still smoking his pipe. It had been one of the few luxuries he had stolen for himself once he had been pardoned from the old prison.

After being humiliated, and forced to beg for his own freedom, he had no idea where to start. He had no money - no friends, if he could have considered anyone at this point to be a friend - no family. So he stayed in Edo, aimlessly wandering around.

Out of curiosity he had looked around the address that someone had written down, testifying that that had been the last place they had seen children. He'd already broken a few fingers to obtain the information.

Takasugi was not sure himself as to why he was pursuing such a case. A burning anger and grief had followed him ever since he was released from prison, and nothing as of yet could calm his emotions that had spilled over from the war. Back when he shouldered the fate of every man who so chose to follow him, knowing their fate was doomed three months before the end - he held restraint, for a leader must not break down. He was, after all, the main cog in that particular machine, no matter how broken down and worn it was.

He took out his pipe and tapped out the ash. On further reflection, maybe he was itching for some retribution. He was once again back to square one. He was scum. Worth nothing these days.

The house in which he stood in front of was empty. Kicking the door open, Takasugi had no inclination for self-preservation - since swords were illegal to hold, he had only scrounged around before picking up a dirty, blunt dagger.

It was a bad neighborhood. But still, he walked through, Soyo following him as she had for the last few memories. A sick premonition came across her.

 _Something terrible is going to happen_.

Takasugi lifted up the various assortments of knives and saws that hung from the wall, observing blandly as he touched the edge of the metal. After putting them back onto the hooks, he ran his finger across the cutting board in the kitchen.

"Hm," he said softly. Suddenly he strode towards the fireplace, rummaging for something before he pulled out a bone.

A human femur, to be exact. Soyo felt nauseous.

Takasugi only looked at it before tossing it back. He chuckled darkly. "I think I knew what happened to that orphan," he said to nobody in particular.

He closed his eyes, continuing to laugh. And laugh.

A man, hearing of the disruption, snuck up behind Takasugi - but it was to no avail. Within three seconds he laid on his back, the other pinning him down neatly and efficiently with a blunt dagger to his face.

"How shall you die today?" Takasugi snarled, crushing the man's arms with his knees, one hand suffocating the victim's throat and another holding a knife to carve scars on the man's body. "Shall I kill you the way you did that poor child?"

"N-no - you have no evidence!"

"Admission of guilt?" he asked, as the man turned bluer and paler. "You're not very good at begging for your life."

The final judgment had come. He grinned as the life snuffed out of the man, who succumbed to the inevitable fate. When it was all over, he finally lifted his hands, observing the pale bruise on the corpse's neck.

"Foolish," Takasugi murmured. "So very foolish..."

He walked back to the kitchen, and rummaged through the cupboard before pocketing a matchbox. A canister of gasoline was fetched before he poured the contents over the dead man's body. He made sure to splash the liquid all the floor as well, walking backwards before he was outside.

He struck the match and the house lit with burning flame - glorious in its destruction. He stood and watched with the utmost satisfaction.

"This world is rotten," he declared, dropping his useless dagger onto the ground. "And yet, I feel cleansed, somehow." Lifting his hands, he grinned.

 _We are all alone_ , he thought savagely to himself.  _There is no inherent meaning to our lives - we only live because there is nothing better to do. We were born from oblivion and it is our destiny to die into nothingness. Bonds are so easily made and taken away - even the inherent goodness of people can be washed away by the calamities of evil._

_It is humans who decide the fates of the innocent - there is no God, nothing to prevent us from killing children and roasting their flesh in fire for our consumption. It is all us._

_In the end... I simply destroy._

* * *

**xxiv.**

Soyo woke up screaming.

"Ah - so she's back," Matako muttered, swiping her card across the keypad. Quickly slipping into the prisoner cell, she unhooked the mental wire-links to Soyo's head, placing a hand over her mouth.

"Shhhh - shhh. You okay?"

Soyo heaved deeply, shaking from head to toe. "N-no. I'm d-dizzy."

"That's to be expected from a ten-hour linkage," Matako said. "Listen. You'll have to act traumatized for the next three days, okay?"

"W-wait. You p-purposefully - "

"Be quiet!" Matako hissed. "Yes I did. I didn't think you deserved to be punished, so I switched vials. But don't you dare confess a damn thing."

Soyo nodded. "I won't. But how - ?"

"Once upon a time, I fell in love with Takasugi," she muttered. "He was sleeping - unguarded, in front of me - and the Regulator had come to me, bargaining half my salary for some of his memories. I couldn't resist. He'll kill me if he finds out, but hell, that's the risk I took when I came to serve on his damn ship."

* * *

**xxv.**

Kamui returned to the ship much to the dismay of the crew. No one was fond of Kamui - not only was he unpredictably savage, he also liked picking fights which, if provoked, was sure to end up with the death of somebody.

But it seemed that his bloodlust for now had been sated.

"I brought Shigeshige's head," he announced to Takasugi, placing the package on his desk unconcerned with how crude and utterly tactless it might have seemed at the moment. "Might have taken a few Tendoshu heads with me, but no big deal right?"

"Excellent. Now, I suppose we'll have to deal with the Hitotsubashi faction. I assume their next move is to elect Nobunobu to the position of the Shogun... "

"Won't be a problem if you won't like that," Kamui said, licking his lips in anticipation. "I've heard rumors that they're rather strong - "

"Only in power, not physical strength," Takasugi said derisively. "No, I believe there is one more task for you to take, Kamui."

He passed him a photograph. "Do you think you could find this man and kill him? We only have one more obstacle in our way."

Kamui looked up and grinned. "What a surprise - or really, should I have expected any different?"

Takasugi chuckled. "I knew you'd look forward to it.

"I'll be back," Kamui vowed, his smile devilish, blue eyes sparkling.

On top of the desk laid none other than one full mug shot of Sakata Gintoki.

 


	4. Chapter 4

_Is it bright where you are_   
_Have the people changed_   
_Does it make you happy you're so strange_   
_And in your darkest hour_   
_I hold secrets flame_   
_We can watch the world devoured in it's pain_

_Delivered from the blast_   
_The last of a line of lasts_   
_The pale princess of a palace cracked_   
_And now the kingdom comes_   
_Crashing down undone_   
_And I am a master of a nothing place_   
_Of recoil and grace_

_- Smashing Pumpkins, "The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning"_

* * *

**xxvi.**

The plan had been a success. Soyo had laid on her bed with blank eyes, and when the head psychiatrist came over to evaluate her sanity, she had trembled and acted to the best of her ability the perfect image of a half-crazed teenage girl.

But in all honesty, it hadn't taken much. Experiencing Takasugi's memories had already twisted her perception of everything she had known previously about the world she was surrounded in.

Naive and foolish, they used to call her. Now it was different. She understood, now, why he held such grievances against her family.

 _My eyes have opened_.

* * *

**xxvii.**

"He's proven notoriously hard to find," Kamui reported a week later. "Literally every one of his acquaintances have vanished. I checked Yoshiwara, the Kabuki-chou district - which was destroyed anyway - but I couldn't find anybody who knew of a white-haired samurai."

"Katsura might be sheltering them," Takasugi said. "Did you interrogate the Shinsengumi?"

"I'm not good at things like that. But! I brought you a present."

"If it's another head, I don't want it."

"Oh no, it's better," Kamui grinned. Abuto walked into the vicinity, dragging Hijikata Toushirou behind him, handcuffed with a gaping wound stretching from his shoulder to his chest. "He's still alive."

With a smile, Takasugi motioned for him to sit. The Yato pushed him into a wooden chair, ignoring the yelp of pain from the samurai.

"I'll enjoy this," he breathed, and with a nod towards Kamui and Abuto, they left as quickly as they had come. He observed that the wound was shallow, but enough to be mind-numbingly painful.

"Takasugi Shinsuke," Hijikata spat out. "You're the cause of all this destruction."

"So what if I am?" the other man replied, smiling. "What can you do in your situation?"

The commander attempted to rise up, but as quick as a fox, Takasugi simply flicked his ash smoke near Hijikata's wound. The other man moaned in agony.

"You know, it's very funny how Kondo tried to protect the Shogun with his life."

"S-stop it - "

"Were you unable to protect him?"

"Stop it - "

"What were his last words?"

This time, the trigger was too extreme to be contained with words alone. Hijikata fluidly moved out of the chair and swung his arms wildly. Takasugi only moved so that the walls were dented rather than his body, and then smoothly kicked his stomach so that he could observe Hijikata wheezing again, helpless as his shoulder became incapacitated.

"Would you happen to know where Sakata Gintoki is?" he asked the man on the ground. "He's a very important person to me. I'd like to meet him again."

"Like hell I'd sell him out to you. I know who he is - the Shiroyasha." Hijikata coughed as he struggled to breathe once more. "If there's one man on this damn planet who can take you down, it's  _him_."

"I've already done what I've wanted to do," Takasugi replied idly. "Your confidence in a former Jouishishi patriot is most ironic, for a Shinsengumi dog."

"It's not like it's a damn secret," Hijikata said, rolling over slowly. "I've done my damn research. You  _knew_  him. You were the former commander of the Kiheitai - "

"What of it?"

"You coulda been someone like  _him_ ," Hijikata snarled. "But you? You're just a fucked up asshole who doesn't know the value of protecting others. You couldn't win the war so this is your screwed up way of getting revenge on the people you'll never know - and  _I despise you_. I loathe you with every inch of my body, and if I could kill you I would."

"I really hate people who drag their monologues," Takasugi said. Pointing the gun at Hijikata's forehead, he pressed the trigger.

* * *

**xxviii.**

"That bastard's gone," Okita said.

A comatose Kondo laid next to him, an IV tube strapped to his arm. Yamazaki uneasily looked up.

"Who?"

"Hijikata, of course." In the fray of the battle they had taken the demon Vice Commander away, stripping him of his means to defend himself in less than a minute. He had always known that Kagura's kind had been absurdly powerful, but he had no way to quantify strength until he had seen it in action. By some divine power he had escaped their notice, but not before Hijikata was taken as captive. In that moment, he knew that the Shinsengumi was doomed.

"You don't mean that - "

"Oh, but I do."

"Oi, what's with this lack of faith?"

The two looked behind them. It was Gintoki, ostensibly there to pay a visit to Kondo again. Aboard the Joui ship, the two officers kept their mouths shut. It was already humiliating that they had lost two of their best men, but on top of that, times and circumstances had forced the remnants of the Shinsengumi to cooperate with the moderate Joui factions.

Matsudaira had already committed hara-kiri after witnessing the Shogun's execution on live television. Morale was down, and without a strong leader like Kondo to take reign, the rebellion in Edo had become a free-for-all. Okita hadn't felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders until he had seen his men from his division bringing in a wounded Kondo slipping out of consciousness.

He had taken a deep breath then, before muttering  _No, no, no_  to himself. After the doctor declared him ruined beyond immediate repair, he had locked himself into a bathroom, preparing himself for a nervous breakdown - something that had never happened before he had seen Mitsuba cremated. Kondo held him steadfastly at the funeral then. Now he, too, was gone.

He sighed and narrowed his eyes. "Danna, I don't know if you've noticed, but Hijikata was abducted."

"That mayora?"

Okita nodded.

"Then maybe it's time we save him, then," Gintoki decided. "The princess is aboard that ship. Two birds, one stone."

"Impossible. That ship is one of the most fortified things on this planet - "

"Those who break the rules are scum, that's true, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum," Gintoki quoted, a gentle smile on his lips. "I've been thinking that we've put our plan on hold for too long. It's time to make a move."

* * *

**xxix.**

He pressed the trigger... and there was nothing. Takasugi sighed.

"You're a lucky man," he commented. "I stole this from one of my subordinates. She must have forgotten to reload it today. But no matter." Glancing at Hijikata, he summoned Nobume to drag the man away from his office, and a lackey to clean up the bloody mess.

The woman looked at him coldly, and pointed a sword towards him. "Walk straight, or else you'll die."

He did so, wishing he had a cigarette to distract him from the agony of his dislocated shoulder. It was at this moment that he spotted Soyo walking back to her room.

"Princess!" he said, shocked. "You're alive!"

"Hijikata-san!" she said, her eyes widening. Nobume pressed the tip against Hijikata's back. "Walk straight, prisoner."

"Nobume-san, please don't hurt my friend," Soyo pleaded. "Please allow me to exchange a word with him before you take him away."

"Orders are orders."

"Please? It'll only take a minute. Takasugi-san won't mind."

Her eyes were beseechingly endearing. Nobume sighed and finally lowered her sword.

"Ah - um, is Kagura-chan okay?" Soyo asked.

"That little Yorozuya girl you were gallivanting with the day you escaped the palace? Yeah. She's fine." He glanced at Nobume, her lips pursed. It wouldn't do to give away the details of the Joui moderate faction, who were just about to launch their attack on the Kiheitai. If their plan was to kill him, he might as well keep his secrets to the grave.

"I see," Soyo said, a smile of relief lighting up her face. "That's... really all I wanted to know. Thank you, Hijikata-san, for protecting me all those years before." She bowed to him.

The doctor continued to escort the princess back into her locked room, while Hijikata walked forward.

At least there are enough sane people on this ship enough to keep her alive, he thought. He didn't think he could keep fighting without one piece of good news to motivate him.

Instead of delivering him to an execution cell, Nobume had led him to a prison, unlocking him.

"It's your lucky day," she said, locking the bars behind him. "Takasugi thinks you're going to serve as bait."

"I'm not that important - "

"Oh, but you are," she said, her eyes always unblinking and cold. "We knew it from the first day we fought you, Hijikata."

* * *

**xxx.**

"I saved this for you," Katsura said, handing Gintoki a white haori resplendent with an equally white ribbon. "I thought it would be appropriate."

The uniform of the  _Shiroyasha_. Gintoki swallowed.

"Zura... "

"We need to motivate my men. If they see you in that, they may think we have more of a chance to overwhelm Shinsuke. I've already lost a few of my best comrades." He turned away, a lump in his throat. "Sakamoto heard what was happening, and thankfully, he agreed to ship us supplies. I didn't think our reunion was going to be like  _this_."

"You've saved this for how long?"

"Too long," Katsura admitted. "I retrieved it back after Sadasada came back into power and reinstated the sword ban. Do you remember that prison camp that we spent years in?"

Gintoki's eyes darkened. "Yes. Of course. How could I forget?"

_That place where we all took different paths. I was lucky to meet an old lady. Katsura found the men who used to serve him. And I don't know where Takasugi went, but surely he must have gone astray at that critical point in time._

"I also have a new sword for you," Katsura said. "Will Leader and Shinpachi-kun accompany us?"

"No," he said. "They need to stay on your ship until we give the command to fire. Please don't tell them where I'm going."

Katsura nodded. "That's fine. I haven't told Elizabeth either. After all, this may be the very last mission that I go on and I'd rather I'd leave her with a good memory." He left the room, giving Gintoki privacy to change. "Come out to the room next door when you're finished."

With a deep sigh, Gintoki shed his clothes and slipped into his much older, but still in good condition war uniform. Katsura must have painstakingly taken the time to sew back every part that had ripped in war. He looked into the mirror, and wondered if he could look Kagura and Shinpachi in the eye and explain any of the things he used to do. For a moment the guilt suffocated him.

His kids. They were growing up faster than he was used to - and he had put off explaining his history for the longest time because he had deemed it irrelevant. After all, he tried so hard to move on. But it was proving impossible, especially as his past was catching up with him. He tied the white ribbon to his head as he once used to more than a decade ago.

One day, he would need to speak to them about everything. It was only their right, as he kept dragging them into his mess.

* * *

**xxxi.**

"This is going to be a stealth mission," Katsura said, once Gintoki had met him in the foyer of the ship. "You remember when we stole that space shuttle from Kyoto?"

"Yes. Good times," Gintoki replied.

"According to Sakamoto, the Kiheitai operates on a Earth-day schedule. Our best chances are at night to infiltrate that ship and rescue Hijikata and possibly the princess."

"How can I trust you not to murder Hijikata when my back is turned?" Gintoki asked. "And finally, what makes you sure that Tatsuma is on  _our_  side?"

"He delivered us two tons of sleeping gas the other day, not to mention a plethora of machine guns free of charge. And I'm not stupid - we need all the help we can get. I'm willing to put my loyalties away if it means that Takasugi will stop bombing the rest of Japan."

The last straw was when he had seen the  _Hokuto Shinken_  burned to the ground. He had felt like crying when Ikumatsu had came to him, angry and furious and sad.

 _I thought you Joui patriots were supposed to be the good guys!_   _Look at what's taken half my life to build up! It's gone, thanks to your rebellion!_

He could not look away.  _I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for things to get so destructive. It's not my fault. My former comrade, a terrorist - blame him. Blame him!_

 _You wanted the same thing as he did!_  she accused.  _You're no better than him, Katsura._

"... Zura? You doing all right?" Gintoki asked.

Katsura blinked again. "Yes. I was just - just reminiscing. On the good old days."

"That's fine. I trust you with what you said. But if I don't come home to my kids in one piece, I'll be haunting you for the rest of your life."

"Heh, as if you'd want to," Katsura said, smirking.

The airpod was something that took some time getting used to, neither of them being excellent pilots, but after setting a course on auto transmission, they finally turned away from the wheel. Katsura doled out all the artillery he had packed in a suitcase.

"When we come across security, it's best to take them down as quietly and quickly as possible. So swords might not be the best option," Katsura explained. "I also have a few smoke bombs, a few grenades - "

"That won't be necessary," Gintoki decided. "One short bump to the head; I can do that easy enough with my fists."

"Don't underestimate them. Takasugi is sure to have some of the most talented soldiers aboard on that ship."

"I think it's me you're underestimating, Zura."

"It's not Zura, it's Katsura."

"Why don't we just take down Takasugi while we're at it?" Gintoki finally asked.

A profound silence met the two as Katsura slowly met his eye.

"... I don't think I could do it," he finally admitted. "He's - he  _was_  a friend. I was responsible for his mess - "

"Wrong. Wrong, and wrong," Gintoki corrected him. " _He_  made the decision to go against what Shoyou-sensei taught us."

"Still, I can't. You knew him best. I, to kill Shinsuke?" Katsura shook his head. "He would overwhelm me. I wouldn't forgive myself if I ended up killing him. And if I were to meet Sensei once more, in the afterlife, what would he think?"

"So why should  _I_  do it?" Gintoki asked, beginning to feel upset.

"He would understand why you did it; I would simply be a hypocrite. You've moved on better than the two of us. He would understand if you chose to protect others from Shinsuke."

A sadness had descended upon the two of them.

"... We're getting too old for this, aren't we?" Gintoki asked.

"Aye," Katsura agreed.

* * *

**xxxii.**

Kamui peered curiously into the camera monitors while standing next to Takasugi.

"They're coming to us," he said, laughing. "I can't believe it! What for?"

"Let them," the other man said, breathing out smoke. "Fools never give up."

"Samurai are so interesting," Kamui said. "Which one would you like me to kill first?"

"Either one is fine." Takasugi glanced at his watch. "I'll be leaving in a bit. The Edo Terminal was destroyed too severely and I have an appointment to make. I'd better tend to it before it's too late."

"Wait, you're not worried about them?"

Takasugi smiled. "Of course not. I've destroyed the world and set out what I wanted to do. It would be stupid to worry over what those two think of me at this point."

He left the monitor room, leaving Kamui behind to observe the ship.

* * *

**xxxiii.**

"Where's Gin-chan?" Kagura asked. Okita was still standing next to Kondo, his eyes never moving from the immobile body.

"Oi, answer me you sadist! I knew he was here before he went missing!"

It took him a long time to respond that she was about to shake his shoulder before he said, "He's gone."

"What do you mean?"

"I said he's gone. China, he's going to take down that big ship all by himself." Okita finally tore his eyes away from Kondo.

"... Why didn't he tell me? Why did he tell you?"

"Beats me."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I saw your brother the day they took Hijikata. Look what he did to Kondo. If he wakes up and I'm dead, there'll be no one to tend to him. I'm not going to be a martyr for anyone anymore."

"Wait a minute. You saw my brother? How would you know?"

"He had your hair and eyes," Okita said. "They killed the Shogun that very day."

Kagura paled. And then taking a deep breath, she punched Okita, hard.

"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?" he yelled angrily after he was slammed into the wall.

She picked him up, gripping his collars. "You're giving up? Didn't take ya for a coward, Sadist."

"But it's over," he said. She slammed him into the wall again.

"You're the first division captain in the Shinsengumi!" she shouted at him. "If that mayonnaise freak and gorilla are both missing in action, you'll have to take charge! They didn't raise ya to be a baby, uh-huh!"

Shinpachi finally entered the room, done checking the left wing of the ship. "Kagura-chan, what are you doing to Okita-san?"

"Teaching him to not be a coward, that's what," Kagura said, contemptuous. "He just told me Gin-chan is gonna be in that ship, fighting Takasugi all by himself!"

"Aw, hell." Shinpachi scowled. "That no good samurai - he's left us behind again? He ought to know better these days. Well, Kagura-chan, we'll just have to find him ourselves, don't we?"

"But of course! Zura told me there were some backup space pods in the back! We better get a move on, uh-huh!"

"Wait," Okita finally spoke up. "Me and Yamazaki... we'll go with you."

"But the Chief - "

"No, you were right, China. He wouldn't want me to mope around like this when everybody else was taking action. Us four - we're good enough for now."

Elizabeth had chosen to walk in at that moment, holding up a sign. HAVE ANY OF YOU SEEN KATSURA?

Kagura shook her head.

THEN THAT MAKES FIVE OF US.

* * *

**xxxiv.**

"Yo, Samurai-dono," Kamui said, greeting Katsura with his eyes opened. "I'm afraid I can't let you get to, ah, where you're going."

"That's fine," the other man said, surreptitiously reaching into his pocket for the reassuring weight of a grenade. "I have another man to do what I couldn't do in the first place."

"I pity him, to be honest," Kamui said. "I've already sent five of my men in his direction. If your intent was to be discreet - "

"It wasn't, actually," Katsura interrupted, and threw a smoke bomb.

* * *

**xxxv.**

"Soyo-chaaaaan!" cried Kagura, drop kicking the door and spotting her long lost friend. "What are you doing here?"

"Kagura-chan!" The princess flew into the girl's arms, embracing her tightly. "Oh my goodness. You have no idea how glad I am to see you. I wrote you letters - but I never sent them because of  _you-know-who_."

"That's okay! The thought is what matters," Kagura said, snuggling her head into Soyo's shoulder. "I thought you were dead. J-just like... "

"It's okay," Soyo said, though her eyes had grown forlorn. "I... It's not like it was the people on this ship's fault, anyway..."

"How can you say that? Because of them, people have been fighting non-stop for his title!" Kagura gave a worried look at her friend. "You're not saying that they're innocent, are they?"

"N-no - of course not!" Soyo said quickly. "I just - "

Before she could explain, the alarms had gone off on the spaceship. Kagura cursed, grabbing the princess's hand. "We better escape before it's too late!"

The five had split up, ostensibly to find Gintoki/Soyo/Hijikata/Katsura, all armed with their weapons of choice and a walkie-talkie, but neither of them were prepared for the onslaught of Amanto that came in every direction. Kagura was quick, spotting Shinpachi with nothing but his sword to defend himself, though he was doing an admirable job so far.

"I found the princess!" Kagura yelled, making sure to shoot down the foot soldiers in front of her in close proximity. "Where's the space shuttle?"

"Down below!" Shinpachi replied, fending off an obnoxious alien carrying a pickaxe. Once the alien had collapsed, he wiped his brow. "Phew, at least we're in the clear now."

"Ah, Glasses-kun!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING GLASSES - oh. Um. My bad, Princess," Shinpachi stammered.

"I'm sorry, I just couldn't remember your name!" Soyo apologized. "I met Hijikata-san on this ship not too long ago, though I don't know whether he's still alive or not. Nobume-san was escorting him, and I know she's an assassin..." Her throat seized up on her, panic suddenly threatening to overwhelm her constitution before Shinpachi put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"That man is a lot tougher than he looks. He's a demon, after all. As long as mayonnaise still exists in this country, he'll be alive to suck it down."

"I suppose you're right."

Shinpachi smiled. "By the way, call me Patsuan," he said. "Gin-san does."

* * *

**xxxvi.**

"Hijikata."

"Katsura."

The two nodded at each other in cool acknowledgement. Without speaking, Hijikata lifted up his handcuffs, Katsura quickly undoing the lock with a bobby pin - a skill picked up after years of evading capture. It was ironic now that he was letting a Shinsengumi dog escape, he thought with a sour thought. But if they were to have any hope in taking down Takasugi, it was necessary to cooperate to win over Shinsengumi's trust, and that involved the escape of the Demon Vice Commander.

"How much did Takasugi find out from you?"

"Not much. I told him the Shiroyasha was coming."

Katsura's eyes darkened. "Funny how you're putting so much faith in a former Joui patriot."

The metal clinked down to the stone ground. It had occurred to him how easy it would have been, to continue damaging the man in a way so that it would seem accidental.

"Katsura, ordinarily I would very much like to arrest you. I'd like to finally wring my hands around your neck, and punish you for all those damn years of disturbing the peace." Hijikata looked straight at him in the eye. "But these are no ordinary times. The Shogun is dead and for the rest of us country samurai, all we can do now is to protect the ones we hold dear. And if that means I'll have to put my trust into you and that permed bastard - so be it. When we get out of this mess, we can fight each other later."

With a baleful look, Katsura finally looked away. "... My men are going to launch the artillery attack tonight. Not that I have much hope. One of the biggest political figureheads are backing Takasugi in exchange for the Princess. The reason they allowed her to live this long is because they were planning to decapitate her and stick her head next to her brother's on top of the Edo Terminal after they shut it down tonight. Ironically, the Kiheitai might have saved her life without her knowing about it."

"... That's disgusting."

"Yes. Very barbaric. But that's something to be expected from the Tendoshu - those bastards have no sense of decorum. We'll have to prevent them from entering by the Edo Terminal. Takasugi destroyed the building, but that was for the sake of his destruction. Once the Tendoshu come back, we'll be doomed to extinction, especially after this chaos. If we can at least lop off Takasugi's head, it'll send a strong message to those barbarians - that we won't stand for this tyranny, and that there  _is_  a rebellion underground that is powerful enough to withstand them. "

A moment passed between them. With cautious understanding, Hijikata began to understand the foundation behind his rescuer. He remembered an old sword philosophy he had read so long ago -  _the enemy of my enemy is my friend_. Though Katsura was no friend of the Shinsengumi's, that was not to say he couldn't be an ally.

"Maybe we're not so different," Hijikata admitted. "I guess my trust was well founded in you."

"Can you hold a sword?"

"My right shoulder's dislocated, but I can manage with my left."

Katsura sighed. "You'll have to make do with a pistol for now; I'll give you a sword later. Careful - I already used two bullets to break through this prison door and your cell. You have five of them left."

"I've never used a gun before in my life."

"First time for everything, then." He picked up his walkie-talkie. "Leader, what's your status?"

"Me and Shinpachi have retrieved the Princess, but we don't know where Gin-chan is. The sadist, Yama-chan, and Eli are looking for him on the third level."

Katsura paled. "That's... not good. That's where I led that Yato off."

* * *

**xxxvii.**

"Samurai-san, won't you come down and play?" Kamui asked in dulcet tones, taunting Gintoki as he jumped from the rooftop to the deck of the ship. "I've brought friends over, don't you know?"

"A true fight would be between two men, not one against many," Gintoki said gravely, though his eyes were scanning for a potential exit out of the situation.

 _This is not good. I need to escape the situation_. Lifting his sword, a bead of sweat trickled down his skin.

"THERE HE IS!" someone roared in the horizon. "FIIIIIIIRE!"

In the far horizon he saw Mutsu, her blue suit shining spectacularly in the Earth's atmosphere. The cannon of the Kaientai was aimed directly towards the pit of the Kiheitai's ship. In a few seconds, the roar of the artillery was ringing in Gintoki's ears.

"Captain!" Another Yato ran out of the cabin. "What should we do about this? Takasugi took all his officers with him!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Kamui replied. "I'm going to fight  _this_  man to the death, while  _you_  figure a way out so that we don't careen to  _our_  deaths. Whichever comes first, that is."

"B-but sir - we're falling at a very fast rate! This ship won't last like this forever - "

Another cannon wrecked into the hull of the ship, blasting wood and iron debris into the air. Gintoki scrambled away, the ship beginning to tilt at a level that would make him fall if he wasn't careful.

"Oh, I don't care, do whatever you want!" Kamui snarled, drop kicking the samurai into a wall. It was only through sheer luck that Gintoki managed to avoid another blow.

But his good luck couldn't hold out forever. Kamui held sharp reflexes. High impact. Killer endurance. Gintoki didn't think he was going to make it through after the alien aimed directly for his ribs, causing him to cough up blood. Kamui was the reincarnation of King Hosen without the weaknesses of the sun. Now he fought with a vengeance that could be only sated by blood - and not just any blood would do.

He wanted to taste the blood of strength.

"What's the matter, Samurai-san? Getting too hard for you?"

"Nah," Gintoki lied, grinning with an admirable bravado. "I'm just getting started."

"Well, you'd better get started soon, or I'll be drinking your blood." A sharp kick slammed Gintoki's skull into the ground.

The Yato picked up the man by throat, squeezing with all his might. A sadistic thrill ran through his body as he saw Gintoki's face change colors. Red, blue, purple... hmm. Perhaps not all humans bled crimson red.

His musings led to a moment of inattention. The samurai kicked his stomach with remarkable strength, leading to the escape from his tight grip. Gintoki gulped in air, eyes never taking a second off of Kamui. Massaging his throat, Gintoki blinked away water as his hands weakly gripped Katsura's once-pristine sword.

Kamui laughed delightedly like a child presented with a new toy. "Not bad, samurai-san! I knew there was a hidden spark somewhere."

"As if I'm gonna let you strangle me to death. That's too goddamn unfair," Gintoki gasped.

Gintoki was losing and they both knew it. It was simply a matter of time before he succumbed to Kamui. But even so, the alien played games with him, as if he were a cat toying with a mouse.

He was about to stand up, before a familiar pink-haired girl leapt across the deck, caught in between the two.

"KAMUI!" Kagura's cry was one of rage. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Someone troublesome has come," Kamui said, licking the blood off his fingers. "Hello, dear sister."

"You stay away from here!" she yelled. "This is no place for us Yato to fight! Planet Earth can't handle the two of us, uh-huh!"

"That's funny, because the last time I checked, I was able to have a good fight with Hosen," Kamui said.

Gintoki wiped the blood from his mouth. "I thought I told you to stay back, Kagura."

"That's right," Kamui agreed. "This is a fight between two men.  _Stay out of it_."

Kagura fired off two warning shots. "It's the job of the younger sister to reign her idiot brother back!" she said, and raced towards Kamui with the intent to beat him within an inch of his life.

While Kagura led her brother away, the ship was still pummeled with the steady stream of cannons. It was apparent that the Kiheitai was fighting back, but compared to the small agility of the Kaientai's fluid operations, it seemed to be a one-sided battle.

"Gintoki!" screamed Katsura. "Get over here! Once Takasugi makes his way to the Edo Tower, it'll be over! We have to stop him from letting the Tendoshu enter our land again!"

"But I can't leave Kagura or Shinpachi!"

"It's the damn fate of the world resting on your shoulders!" Katsura cried. "And I know they came in their spaceship, so it's not like they can't come down on their own!"

"But - "

"I'll protect them."

Okita flew his space pod right behind Katsura's, a sword by his side. "No one is allowed to beat that girl except for me. I was looking for you, Danna, but instead I tracked down the most legendary terrorist of our time." He cast a mournful glance at Katsura. "It's too bad I can't arrest you now - "

"As if you could in ordinary circumstances," Katsura replied haughtily.

"But I will later. For now, I'll stick here and make sure no one gets hurt... like Kondo did," Okita finished rather lamely.

A lump built into Gintoki's throat. "Go," he said heavily. "And if you let my kids die - "

"I won't."

"Good." With a mist in his eyes, he turned his back, clambering into Katsura's airpod.

The princess, Hijikata, and Yamazaki were waiting for him. Kagura had already made sure that Soyo was to be kept safe. Yamazaki, surprisingly, was taking this all in good stride, fussing over Hijikata's wounds.

"Yo, Oogushi-kun," Gintoki said.

"My name is Hijikata, you dumbass," he replied, but there was no venom in his voice. "You look bad."

"So do you." Katsura passed Gintoki some painkillers which he downed gratefully with a bottle of distilled water.

"Bastard's related to that China doll?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"God help us all," Hijikata said, and with his left hand, withdrew his cigarette from his lips.

* * *

**xxxviii.**

"Incoming shuttle," reported Bansai, looking through his binoculars. "Guess Kamui couldn't get the job done, Shinsuke."

"I didn't expect him to; his job was to buy us time. I knew Zura and Tatsuma were about to make a move eventually," Takasugi replied evenly. In the corner, Matako and Hanpeita were putting together the electronic generator that would allow enough power to run the shuttle for an hour.

"Well, let's hope they won't arrive too soon," Hanpeita said. "Because - "

A poison dart - too fast to be seen - was expertly shot into his shoulder. He only had enough time to remove it before he collapsed.

"Takechi-senpai!" Matako cried out, but Takasugi simply held his hand up, gesturing for her to not move.

"There are people in the shadows," he snarled, withdrawing his sword from its sheath. With his lone eye darting the parameters, he barked, "Come out!"

Inwardly he gritted his teeth. Already this was not a good start with one man down - not that Hanpeita was particularly adept at sword fighting so much as strategizing their next move - but still, the psychological comfort of being surrounded with his top officers was needed for what was sure to be another conflict between the factions.

Someone moved in the dark. Bansai withdrew his sword and already Matako had lifted her pistols in the air, ready to aim whatever came their way.

"You needn't worry," a cold voice rang out. "It is I, Hitotsubashi Nobunobu, rightful heir to the throne of the Shogun."

"And what the hell was the point of taking out one of our personnel?" Matako growled, her fingers firmly in place on the trigger. "I know you slimy bastards don't trust anybody these days, but - "

"Matako," Takasugi cut off her accusations with a firm shake of his head. "I believe he has a body with him."

And as the heir of the Hitotsubashi came forward, they could see the outline of an alien with his head cleanly cut off. Though the blood had seeped into Nobunobu's hands, he seemed not to notice.

"He's one of the Tendoshu double agents; I followed him all the way to this place. That man of yours won't live unless you have an antidote," Nobunobu said, his expression lacking everything but contempt. "Unfortunately for this alien, he was probably under orders to kidnap the Princess. Which I came to collect, by the way."

"She's not here right now," Takasugi replied. "I left her up in my ship. But according to my calculations, she will arrive very soon."

And he nodded upwards to the sky. "There, you see? A rescue shuttle. They'll be here before you know it."

Nobunobu's lips twitched, as if he was dealing with a very annoying fly. "I expected better service than this, Takasugi. If she ends up dead, then the legitimacy of my throne may not be guaranteed."

"I've never trusted a man to rely on a woman for his own power," Takasugi remarked off-handedly. He knew this would irk the other man very much, but as of now, Nobunobu was in no place to be making demands. "Matako, is that generator up and running?"

She didn't take her eyes off of Nobunobu and neither did she take her gun away. "We're very close, Shinsuke-sama."

"Very well. I shall walk up all the way to that space shuttle to greet our visitors, while you attend to the needs of our, ah, newly appointed Shogun."

"There are other visitors?" interrupted Nobunobu. "I thought this was a reciprocal exchange. I only wanted the destruction of the Bakufu, Takasugi,  _not_  the entire nation - "

"This is how you destroy the allure of a nation," Takasugi said quietly. "If the Amanto see that there is no future in investing their time any further into this rotten planet, then they will leave." He slipped one hand into his kimono and pulled out his pipe, placing it into his mouth even though there was no flame to light up the tobacco. "I will meet with the head of the Tendoshu - he has kept an eye on Japan for too long. Bansai, I believe Sasaki has left an antidote prepared by the Naraku in such occasions like these; please attend to Takechi."

"Yes, sir. On it."

"I'm coming with you," Nobunobu said. "I don't trust you."

"Very well then." Takasugi replied. It was none of his business if Oboro decided to murder the other man - already his ambition was clouding his instinct for self-preservation.

* * *

**xxxix.**

"I'm not going back to the bomb shelters," Soyo said firmly as Katsura instructed the autopilot to land on top of an abandoned station, near the tip of the dilapidated Edo Terminal.

"Princess!" Yamazaki begged. "You can't. It's been a month of chaos and you're a beacon of hope. People just want to see something not ruined for once. We need some stability."

"Yamazaki-san, I appreciate your input, but I am more than a symbol," Soyo replied.

"You don't negotiate with men like that," Hijikata argued. "Princess, you realize - "

"Yes, I realize he is a man who has destroyed our lives and burned down our city," she said, her eyes downcast. "I will not deny that the most prudent course of action is to kill him. But I would like to speak to him before that happens, no matter what the risk may be to me."

She looked up. "What my brother would have wanted was to face my fears, not to hide. The day he died, he stood straight and tall, even in the shadow of his enemy. He spent his entire life trying to understand the commoners of this city, so that he could become a splendid leader. If I, Tokugawa Soyo, cannot even manage to speak to my enemy once more, then I could not face my brother in the afterlife with any pride."

"Princess, I don't understand why you're so adamant about this," Hijikata said. "Katsura, you knew Takasugi - at least tell her what man he was. Surely he was merciless and unforgiving - "

"He used to be kind, once upon a time," Katsura said, his back still facing the rest of the crew. "But it is foolish to mistake deliberation for kindness. Believe me, you being alive is a miracle. Go with the Shinsengumi dogs. Don't throw your life away."

"With all respect, Katsura, I have nothing left except for my name," Soyo replied. "What use is there to live for other people? I am honored that the Shinsengumi protected me in the past, but without the Tokugawa house in power, I will now live for myself. And I have decided this is my fate."

"Tokugawa-dono, a name is more valuable than you think," Katsura said. "My name was worth millions in times of peace." He turned around, his eyes softening. He, too, had been idealistic at her age.

"That's right," Gintoki agreed. "Kagura-chan wouldn't want you to do something as reckless as this."

"I know more than you think!" Soyo cried out, startling the other members in the ship. "I know that Yoshida Shoyou was your master! I know that my uncle burned down the temple school you two and Takasugi belonged to! I know that you lost so many things because of my family!"

She fell to her knees, placing her head on the ground as she bowed in front of Katsura and Gintoki. "Please, at the very least let me do something reckless. Let me pay for the sins of my household! Allow me talk to Takasugi - I will beg for his forgiveness."

In the ship full of men, they were profoundly moved despite their reluctance to allow the girl anywhere near Takasugi. A lump crept into Katsura's throat - perhaps this was what he wanted all along; an apology for the wrongs that had been committed in his life. Gintoki looked troubled.

It was Hijikata - whose right arm had been placed into a makeshift splint - who spoke first. "Princess, you don't owe Takasugi or any of these men anything. You never did anything wrong."

"But - "

"Nevertheless, if your wish is to speak to him, I won't stop you."

He looked outside of the window, and stood up, Katsura's pistol in one pocket and a sword in his left hand.

"We're here," he said, in a low voice. "Now let's go."


	5. Chapter 5

**xl.**

"Mutsu, we might have overdone it... " Sakamoto said, taking off his sunglasses as he looked at the damage of the Kiheitai's ship.

"Most of them have escaped," she said dismissively.

"You didn't need ta aim directly at Kintoki."

She snorted, pointing at a blur. "You see that? That's a true Yato fight. That's what Gintoki was facin' against. If you're willin' to skimp back on full force, then you might as well give up and consider yourself dead."

Her eyes narrowed. She liked Kagura; the girl reminded her a lot of herself back when she met Sakamoto. So far she wasn't completely invested in the battle - merchants were supposed to practice neutrality, especially in intergalatical battles, but as this concerned Tatsuma's planet and half of Japan was a burned up mess, she felt obligated to do more than was considered healthy in her position. Sakamoto had suspended all his meetings when he heard about the news.

The two of them were now flying around the slowly careening ship in a smaller aircraft, Mutsu navigating while Sakamoto looked outwards.

"God, this is bad," he muttered. Mutsu nodded, maneuvering the machine so that she could take a closer look at whomever Kagura was battling. From the looks of it, she was mostly on the defense, dodging whenever possible.

Another man with her fiery hair and a similar umbrella was pursuing Kagura. Mutsu pursed her lips. "Her technique is shoddy," she criticized. "He's much more experienced in battle, and he's taking advantage of her weakness."

"Ahahaha Mutsu, don't you think that's a bit harsh... ?"

"No."

With a crescendo of finality, both of them watched the fight, tense. It was not Mutsu's intention to interfere. She had already witnessed enough of her kind fighting to know better than to potentially risk her life getting in between two Yato aliens. Still, her hand gripped her umbrella tightly - long abandoned in a closet, fetched now in times of war. The two of them looked away when Kamui delivered a spectacular kick to the girl, causing her body to smash through several walls in the ship.

Sakamoto sucked in his breath. "Goddamn. Mutsu, we have to - "

"No. Not right now."

"But - "

"It would be suicide for you to attract his notice," Mutsu said bluntly.

"R-right." He still sighed. "She's Gintoki's kid, though. I mean - "

"It was her decision to fight with him. She doesn't need a crutch. I think she's just holding back on him. Why else isn't she attacking?"

"Maybe she's trying to talk to him."

"He doesn't seem like he wants to listen."

"Maybe they're talking through fists."

Mutsu turned to Sakamoto, her expression incredulous. "You're too positive for your own good, did ya know that?"

"Ahahaha - am I?" His grin faded. "I dunno, Mutsu. In spite of what I've seen, I'd like ta believe in the best of people. And look - she's standing up!"

"The next time she falls it's gonna be for good," Mutsu said darkly.

* * *

**xli.**

"China! Don't push yourself," Okita yelled, as he and Shinpachi collectively rushed towards Kagura, Elizabeth hot on their heels. It was a miracle that the other soldiers had decided to evacuate the ship, either through another vessel or emergency space pods.

"Get outta my way," she coughed, rubbing the dirt off her face. "I have... to talk... with my stupid... brother - "

"He's insane!" Shinpachi cried out. "He's a lost cause, Kagura-chan!"

THAT'S RIGHT, Elizabeth's sign said. HE'S NOT LISTENING. IF YOU KEEP THIS UP YOU'LL GET YOURSELF KILLED.

"So what?" Kagura said, standing up. "You three oughtta go back to Gin-chan. I'm taking him down."

"Hell no. At the very least, China, you should  _try_  killing him," Okita said, eyes peeled for the fiery Yato.

"But he's my brother."

"He doesn't treat you like a sister," he pointed out. He gripped his sword. It was only a matter of seconds before Kamui would pop up and who knew if they would still be left in one piece. If Kagura was having a hard time fending him off then who was to say that he could even land a blow on him?

"He could change - "

"He won't!"

With words unbidden, Kamui broke into the cabin wall, leering at Kagura. "Well, well. I see you brought your friends here."

"Don't touch them," she said, eyes narrowed. "Or else I won't be able to stop myself from killing you."

"Funny because you're so weak, sister. I'll be the one to kill you before that happens."

She roared and leapt into combat, aiming for his shoulder. Right before her knuckles reached his body, he had already dodged, kicking her knees so that she fell to the ground. Okita took the opportunity to slash his sword at the precise angle of the Yato's neck. Instead Kamui's hand gripped the metal blade with a strength that nearly forced Okita to let go.

"Good technique," the alien said, nodding as if his hands were not sopped with crimson fluid. "Too bad mine is better."

And with a final crack, he snapped the sword in two, rendering it useless. Dropping the pieces of steel, he licked his blood. "I didn't think I was going to meet even more samurai. But you're not strong - not like that white-haired man."

"Shut up. Gin-chan is too good for you," Kagura spat out. "Why did you try to kill Papi all those years ago? Tell me!"

"Wasn't it obvious?" Kamui asked, all the while running after her. She leapt from the floor to the cabin level from the hole he had made in the roof. "I wanted to get stronger! Who else better to test my strength than the second strongest alien on the planet?"

"But why our father?" Kagura yelled, dodging his kicks and punches. "He raised us! He worked so hard to feed us and Mami!"

"What the hell do you mean?" Kamui snarled. "He left her alone to rot, remember?"

"But so did you!"

"I'm not obligated to stay taking care of weaklings!" he replied.

"So that makes you better than him?" she yelled, her vision beginning to blur from pure anger. "Goddammit, Kamui!" She somersaulted backwards, shooting two rounds of bullets into his chest, cursing when she missed.

"I never claimed to be better than him, but I never cared about our family in the first place! I hated you and our parents equally!" Kamui snarled. "Stop running away, goddammit!"

 _No. No. No. All this time I believed he had a good reason_. Kagura blinked away tears as she leapt from roof to roof. The ship was beginning to accelerate down to the ground.

"CHINA! GET OVER HERE!" Okita shouted, waving his hand.

"NO!" she yelled back. "You guys need to escape! You'll die soon if you don't! You humans are too puny to survive falling down at this height!"

"Just trust me!" he cried out. "Get over here!"

"I said no, Sadist!"

"Trust me, like Danna trusted me to take care of you!"

"I - "

There was a moment of uncertainty before she nodded. But before she could turn her body, someone had already beaten her in terms of speed.

" _Gotcha_ ," Kamui said, and punched Kagura so hard in the chest she could feel her ribs cracking.

The trajectory of her body flew into the atmosphere with the symmetry of a rag doll.

" _KAGURAAAAAAAAAAAA_!"

* * *

**xlii.**

Bansai had finished patching his colleague when Katsura's space shuttle landed next to the Kiheitai's shuttle.

"Watch yourself," he whispered to Matako, and they slinked out of sight as they found dark corners to conceal their presence. Hanpeita would wake up soon, but there was no guarantee of him returning in peak combat ability. It was better for him to be hidden for now.

They watched silently as the men stepped out. He sucked in his breath. The Shiroyasha had come out in full uniform. Next was Katsura, the only man to have survived Nizou's attack. There were two other Shinsengumi officers, one carefully escorting Soyo while keeping a watchful eye in the Edo tunnel. Without the neon artificial lights, the terminal seemed sinister under the moonlight.

Strong bunch of folks, he noted. Then he turned on his infared goggles, and gave the signal.

Matako switched out her semi-automatic sniper, aiming for Yamazaki's legs. Pressing the trigger, she smiled for good luck.

A shriek of pain quickly ensued, confirming her skillful accuracy. Instantly the group dispersed into five different directions, but as both Kiheitai members were a terminal level above Katsura's shuttle, it was easy to escape from their view. The muffler had erased her firing signature. Her next shot was just as spectacular, managing to land a bullet on the other Shinsengumi officer. Hijikata collapsed, bleeding from a gunshot wound in his thigh.

Two down, two to go. Now it was his time to shine. He leapt down in front of the two most famous Joui warriors.

"I'll make a bargain with you," Bansai offered. "Give me the girl, and nobody else has to get hurt."

"You wouldn't - "

A red laser dot landed on Katsura's chest. "Actually, I would," Bansai corrected. "There are negotiations held on the top of the tower right now, Katsura-san. I'm sure you wouldn't want to ruin your war uniform," he said grimly.

"Bansai-san, you needn't go so far!" Soyo said, upset. Her eyes were flashing in anger. "I came here with the intention to talk to Takasugi!"

"This isn't your average diplomacy mission, Princess," he replied, taking out his sword and pointing it at Gintoki. "I hope you don't think this isn't a game. If you think things were going to be fixed just on account of you being here, than you were sorely mistaken."

"I didn't expect them to!" she fired back. With defiance, she stepped in front of Katsura, the red laser dotted now firmly on her chest. "Shoot me now, if you dare!"

Behind the semi-automatic, Matako swallowed.  _This girl was nuts_.

"Princess," Katsura cried out, shoving her away, but to no avail. "Princess, this is ridiculous."

"I want to talk to Takasugi!" she yelled, pushing away Katsura. "You will have my word that neither of these two will attack you if I surrender myself!"

"I didn't agree to this!" Gintoki yelped. But one look from the hardened noble silenced him.

"Drop your weapons," Bansai said.

They complied, Gintoki grumbling as he laid down his sword to the ground. He raised his hands up in surrender. Inwardly he felt that his life had been cut shorter on the whim of a teenage girl. But he could not think of a way to escape from it so far. Soyo was too willful to the point of being foolish.

With a remote controller, Bansai pressed the button, instantly lighting up the entire terminal. Above their heads, Gintoki could see another man, one he had met so long ago.

"Start walking," he said. "We're going to the top."

* * *

**xliii.**

"Oh my god, oh my god - "

It was Shinpachi who picked her up, careful to shield Kagura away before Kamui walked slowly to the three of them. Sougo gritted his teeth, hands trembling.

"Glasses, you carry her. Meet at the point we agreed to."

"Okay. Elizabeth-san - "

I'M ON IT. In a nanosecond, the bird fired off a bazooka, hitting Kamui. It would buy them some time, but not enough.

"HURRY!"

Kagura's breaths grew increasingly shallower, spurring Shinpachi to run even faster.  _She's not dead, right? Oh god, I need to hurry. I need to find a doctor._

Okita took a deep breath, composing himself while holding Shinpachi's sword in his hand. Elizabeth stood next to him, bazooka in tow, ready to fire off another missile.

"Heh. Didn't think I'd be teaming up with my worst enemy's pet. But I guess you're not so bad."

HE WOULD HAVE WANTED LEADER TO LIVE.

"Leader, huh? I call her China."

Kamui looked at them, appraising their strength with disdain. "Which one of you would like to die first?"

"Neither," Okita said, just as disdainfully. "Heard you treated that girl like complete garbage before she came down to Earth."

"It's none of your business."

"Then stay away from her."

"I won't. She's the strongest I've dealt with in years," Kamui said, his eye flashing maliciously. "I won't let you take me away from my prey."

"Well, then you're gonna have to deal with me and Eli," Okita said, his lips curled into a smirk. "LET'S GO!"

This time he was more careful, not allowing his sword to strike anywhere near Kamui's hands. There were similar fighting behaviors that he could make out. He'd fought China too many times to count, and like a good opponent, he had memorized each most of her sequences. As an swordsman who could keep up with her, he knew Kagura was much stronger than she let on.

 _Like brother, like sister_. Flipping backwards, he dodged Kamui's punches - the Yato was taking his sweet time, underestimating a human of his capabilities. That wasn't to say that Kamui was slow. In fact the alien was a lot quicker than most human beings, but Okita was counting on the element of surprise to land a blow. And in the first minute, his sword nicked Kamui's neck.

"Oho. Not too bad," Kamui complimented, one of his hands latching onto the wound. "But you're no match for me."

"We'll see about that," Okita said.

In truth, he knew that if both Gintoki and Kagura had been seriously damaged by the likes of Kamui, it would have been futile to even attempt taking this monster down. It only was a matter of time. He had to keep up the alien's interest by showcasing the best of his abilities for just a minute. Leading Kamui into the depths of the ship, he was careful to give and take in gradual levels, but not to the point where Kamui felt as if Okita was leading him on. It was better to pretend that for now, he served as an amusing distraction.

He laughed when Kamui kicked him in the ribs. The irony of Kagura having an older brother whom wished dearly to kill her, while he had lost an older sister whom had loved him too much, was not lost on him.

"What's the point of protecting a girl like her?" Kamui asked. The two were now in the engine room, where the fumes were still stoking hot even in the event of an emergency. "She's a weakling, just like you. There's no point to her existence."

"Is that how you see people?" Okita asked, his red eyes angry. "She's all I have left. And to think people like you can't appreciate a person like her... That makes me furious. Some asshole like you - who'll never see her smile, who only makes her cry -  _you deserve to burn in hell_."

He yanked the pin from a hand grenade, counting down the seconds. "See you later, you monster." Throwing it at Kamui's head, he immediately ran to the exit. The explosion was instantaneous.

He didn't care to find out whether Kamui lived or not. Running towards the space pod, Shinpachi was in the back with the engine heated up and ready to run. Elizabeth was mopping away the blood from Kagura's cheongsam, the stain crimson and grotesque against the white backdrop.

"Let's get out of here," Okita said. Shinpachi nodded. As the machine flew away from the Kiheitai ship, he looked at Kagura, her breath still shallow and too quick to be good news.

"Keep hanging on, China," he muttered.

* * *

**xliv.**

"I didn't expect you to come here alone, Princess," Takasugi said.

"I'm not alone," she said defiantly. The two stood on top of the Edo Terminal, surrounded by the destruction of the main city. The fire had subsided thanks to a thunderstorm that had came after two days' worth of relentless bombings. The sight of it made her depressed, so she fixed her eyes instead on the man responsible for the burning of an entire nation.

"You've gone too far, Takasugi Shinsuke."

He took his pipe out of his mouth, breathing out his smoke. "A bit too late to say those things, isn't it? Look around you, Princess." He gestured at the scene that stretched beyond them. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"It's horrible!" Soyo yelled. She furiously wiped away her eyes with one of her sleeves. "I wished you had blown your head off! Gintoki was wrong to stop you from killing yourself!"

"Ah, but he didn't, now did he?" Takasugi seemed unfazed by her knowledge of such intimate memories. "And look at the price of his mistake. Look at what happened."

"Shoyou-sensei was a good hearted man, and you bastardized what he stood for!" Soyo drew herself as tall as she could "Do you think he would have approved of what you've done to this country?"

With movements too quick for her to detect, Takasugi picked her up easily by the collar with one hand, lifting her up from the ground, nearly suffocating her.

"He is  _dead_ ," he growled. "My sensei, the man who was the only thing who was pure and good in this world was killed! What does it matter if he would have approved of me or not? There is a black beast within me whom howls until my rage is sated. Do you think pretty words will bring him back alive?"

She was about to answer before someone barged into the terminal rooftop, kicking the glass and metal out of his way.

Gintoki brushed the debris off his uniform. Looking up, his eyes narrowed into tiny slits. "Is this what you've resorted to? Bullying a young girl out of all things - "

He let go of Soyo abruptly, dropping her to the ground. "Gintoki."

"It's over, Takasugi. Zura just killed one of your best officers. That woman who shot down the Shinsengumi is on the run now. There's nothing left to support your movement. The government factions will be battling to see who remains in power after this; they only used you like a puppet!"

Takasugi laughed darkly. "Do you think I care? How can you say something is over without looking at the bigger picture?" He unsheathed his sword. "One of the Hitotsubashi dogs has gotten lost in this chaos. Nobunobu will become the Shogun long after this country collapses." He grinned. "Not unlike our beloved Sadasada, yes? As they say, history repeats itself."

"You've done far worse than him," Gintoki said.

A split second later, the metal clang of swords rang into the night. Soyo watched in silence as the two men paused shortly before Gintoki leapt back. Takasugi's strength and innate skill as a swordsman had not diminished one bit, even throughout the years. Gintoki on the other hand, winced. The bruises from his fight with Kamui were beginning to take a toll on his body.

"Fine words from a man who killed Shoyou-sensei," Takasugi snarled. "And you dare show up in the uniform of the Shiroyasha? That name is wasted on you. Where were you, when I decided that this world was rotten?  _Where were you, when I was kept in Sadasada's cage for three years_?" He ran forward, lunging his sword near Gintoki's shoulder.

"I - "

"Don't you dare apologize, Gintoki!" he yelled. "You don't have the right! No one does!"

"People move on from the past, Takasugi!" he said, pushing the other man back, gritting his teeth. "In the end, the present is all we have left to change! How could you not understand this?"

"If I could forget, I would have!"

Gintoki fended off the sword once more. From the very start, he'd been on the defensive. Now he hesitated once more.

 _Shoyou-sensei, what would you have done in my place?_   _Why was this inevitable?_

With bitter tears beginning to form in his eyes, he blocked one of Takasugi's blows before forcing the man to step backwards.

"TAKASUGI! This fight will be to the death, do you understand?" he yelled as he prepared his stance, two hands on his sword as if it was his last lifeline.

"Understood, but it won't be me who'll be dying," Takasugi said coolly, pointing his weapon at the demon in front of him. Not a moment wasted, he ran straight his opponent, aiming for a neck slice before Gintoki flipped his sword and counterattacked with a side parry.

Shoyou's mentorship and bushido ran through their blood. They had spent their childhood training in their teacher's dojo, and had fought together as comrades, brothers, and friends. As Gintoki slashed his sword, his legs were quick to react and arms careful to avoid unwanted nicks. They knew each other like the back of their hands even after the long years of estrangement between the two.

While he fought Takasugi, the memories came barreling in as an avalanche of bittersweet emotions. There was the sharp withdrawal that Takasugi was known for; his combat ability was based on pure speed and agility. Gintoki could hardly keep up with him; though he was no flake with the sword, he found it harder with each increasing minute to defend himself from such desperation.

And suddenly, Takasugi faltered; it must have only been two seconds at maximum when he hesitated. Gintoki rammed his elbow into his neck, felling the man in a sure swoop. Not one to miss an opportunity, Gintoki kicked his ribs while he was down, grabbing the sword from his hands and tossing it away at a far distance.

"C-Coward," he coughed out, hands reaching out to reach for Gintoki only to be stopped abruptly. "You won't grant a dying man his wish to die..."

"They have mental asylums for people like you," he replied. At the mention of that, Takasugi struck Gintoki in the head with his fist, sudden energy renewed in his limbs. Escaping Gintoki's grip, he picked up his sword.

It was too little, and much too late. With a powerful stroke of deliberation, Gintoki stabbed Takasugi in the back, one clean thrust through his chest.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Soyo screamed, her voice piercing the moonlit sky. She took a step, intending to rush towards the two before a force held her back. It was Katsura.

"You mustn't go near them!" he whispered, though tears were running freely down his cheek the same way she had seen him the day of Shoyou's death. "This is not our battle! You must remain strong, Princess!"

"But - " she sobbed. "I - I - "

"I know," Katsura said, holding her while she wept. "I know."

* * *

**xlv.**

"You betrayed... me... " Blood spurted from his heart as the seconds ticked by. Despite his determination to remain calm, Gintoki could not help his eyes from watering.

_I could have stopped this._ _I could have found him before he turned out to be this way._ _I could have saved him from all of this._

_And yet, here we are._

"I loved you like a brother," Gintoki whispered, his guilt laced into one final confession. "I still do."

"Don't you  _dare_  feel sorry for me, Sakata Gintoki... " breathed Takasugi, the blood seeping into the ground. "After all, I'll be seeing Sensei soon... the man you killed... "

And like a marionette with the strings cut, his breath was gone with the wind. The man was dead.

With an overwhelming despair, Gintoki collapsed on his knees, choking back sobs. Tired to the bone, the Shiroyasha laid his head on the ground, weary of living.

* * *

**xlvi.**

He woke up on a hospital cot next to Kagura. Mutsu was reading a magazine, her blue eyes only noticing him when he stirred in his bed.

"How do ya feel?" she asked.

"Awful."

"Not surprised," she said, and she smacked Sakamoto on his shoulder with her magazine. "Oi, you big idiot. Stop dozing off already; Gintoki's up now."

"Whazzat - oh." Sakamoto took off his sunglasses, yawning as he rubbed his eyes. "Mutsu, thanks a lot. You mind if you get somethin' sweet for my pal Kintoki here? I think I might have rationed a piece of cake or two in the cabin."

"Yeah, no problem," she said easily, understanding that he was asking her for some time alone between the two. After she closed the door behind them, Sakamoto scooted his chair near Gintoki's bed.

"Zura told me what happened."

Gintoki looked up at him, eyes wary. "You don't think I'm a bad person, do you - "

"No. No, of course not," Sakamoto said, shaking his head. "We all knew he was gonna die eventually. It's just... " He struggled to articulate his words before he sighed, brushing a hand nervously through his brown locks.

"I knew that if it were me or Zura, doing what you did, we wouldn't be able to handle it as well as you."

"I see Takasugi in my dreams," Gintoki said. "He always asks me,  _why didn't you come here sooner_?  _Why did you leave me_? That kind of thing."

Sakamoto shook his head again. "If all four of us had any better sense back then, we would've left the war earlier. I wouldn't have let him take the commander position."

"I tried to tell him so many times to step down. Stop doing so much," Gintoki said, his eyes looking up at the ceiling. "He didn't listen. He was too willful. And it broke him when he couldn't take control of things. He thought he could really change everything. In the end, he didn't know how to accept that the world doesn't cater to your desires. And he retaliated in the best way he knew... Revenge."

Sakamoto sighed. "Ya know, there's a storm coming. Now that the world's no longer on the verge of an apocalypse, it'll be a wild goose chase to see who's gonna take charge. With the Shogun dead, and the Hitotsubashi openly warring with the Tendoshu - it's a madhouse out there, Gintoki."

"Why did we get used to the world being peaceful?" Gintoki asked, flopping back on his pillow. "It's either one thing or another. I just wanted a normal life."

"As did I," his friend replied thoughtfully. "But at least my place isn't on Earth. It's just yours is."

* * *

**xlvii.**

Soyo stood on the deck of the Kaientai spaceship as she looked at the stars above.

"Soyo-chan, you're all right?" Kagura asked, as she moved forwards in her wheelchair, careful to not exert herself too much lest she fracture her ribs again. "If you want to talk about... whatever, I'm here."

Soyo smiled sadly at her friend. "Thank you, Kagura-chan. I don't know if I can right now. I feel confused and upset and everything's mixed up inside of me right now."

"Me too. Gin-chan says we might not go back to Earth. He says the world isn't somewhere for a kid like me to hang around."

Soyo laughed. "I thought you hated it when he called you a kid."

"I do! But for right now... I don't want to grow up."

"We all have to eventually," Soyo said. Laughing to herself, she said, "I've been through a lot lately."

The nurse came to escort Kagura back to the health clinic, back in time for her daily checkup. With isolation on her hands, Soyo kept thinking back to her time on the Kiheitai's ship.

Takasugi was a tragic figure. And so, she had sympathized with him a way that was not of love, but of pity, and she had known that Gintoki had pitied him as well. Still, he had looked at her in ways that made her feel so painfully aware of the fact that she was alive, if only because of the knowledge that he was so close to taking her life away.

There were rumors that Nobunobu planned to take her as a wife. She wasn't sure, yet, what to do. For it was to be said that her uncle, having taken over a nation, had ruined the lives of the men she had met, Takasugi only being one such victim. It was possible that he could turn the country once more into a tyrannical rule if their faction was strong enough to repel Amanto conquest once more.

Her thoughts led to other trivial things before she thought about the lone woman on the ship, Kijima Matako. Soyo wondered where she had escaped once she saw Bansai slain in the terminal. Uneasily, she remembered that the same women had shot down two Shinsengumi officers, but at the same time, she could not forget the Matako's kindness while she was aboard as a hostage. Neither were Hijikata's nor Yamazaki's wounds seriously lethal, even though her capabilities could have achieved such levels of danger.

Soyo rubbed her forehead. Thinking too hard would only give her headache. And yet, an idea had come to her in the night.

* * *

**xlviii.**

"The princess requests your presence," Kagura announced, fully recovered and in good shape. The Joui 3 were playing a round of UNO on the nightstand next to Gintoki's cot. Katsura raised an eyebrow, in the midst of choosing his card.

"Haaaaah? And why would we go to her?" Gintoki grumbled.

"Because she has a good idea! Please, Gin-chan? Please?"

In no place to refuse the request of his cherished daughter, Gintoki made his way slowly to the cabin where the princess resided as for now. The Kaientai had been a godsend to the few survivors from what was left of Zura's faction. The Harusame had already withdrawn from Earth, considering the loss of its troops as collateral damage.

"So, what's the big idea?" Gintoki asked, settling into a comfortable armchair. Next to him, a solemn Katsura stood with his arms crossed. Sakamoto pushed up his sunglasses, in the mood to listen to anything amusing.

Soyo turned towards them, a smile on her face.

"I won't let history happen twice on my watch as the last member of the Tokugawa family. Let's take down the Hitotsubashi faction."

* * *

-x-

_the end_

-x-


End file.
